| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2015 | Volume
: 7
| Issue : 4 | Page : 156-166 |
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A marine protein-based dietary supplement for subclinical hair thinning/loss: Results of a multisite, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial
Ronald L Rizer1, Thomas J Stephens2, James H Herndon2, Brian R Sperber1, James Murphy3, Glynis R Ablon4
1 Thomas J Stephens and Associates Inc., Colorado Research Center, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
2 Thomas J Stephens and Associates Inc., Texas Research Center, Richardson, TX, USA
3 Lifes2Good, Galway, Ireland
4 Department of Dermatology, UCLA School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Correspondence Address:
Ronald L Rizer
Thomas J Stephens and Associates Inc., Colorado Research Center, 5050 Edison Avenue, Suite 202, Colorado Springs, CO, 80915-3540
USA
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0974-7753.171573
Clinical trial registration NCT02288858
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Introduction: Since skin and hair quality are potent vitality signals, and hair growth deficiency can cause significant psychological morbidity. In addition to clearly-defined hair loss disorders, milder forms of hair thinning or hair loss appear to be increasingly common, with a suggestion that sub-optimal diets and stressful lifestyles may be involved. Methods: Here we assess the value of a dietary marine-extract based dietary supplement in premenopausal women with subclinical hair thinning or hair loss conditions. This multi-site, randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted with impact on hair shedding rate and hair fiber diameter (assessed by phototrichogram) as primary end points upon consumption of the oral supplement compared to a placebo. A total of 96 eligible female subjects were enrolled aged 21-55 years of age from Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic ethnic backgrounds. Results: This study showed that hair shedding was significantly reduced in the first 3-6 months of daily consumption of the oral supplement. Moreover, phototrichogram image analysis revealed a statistically significant increase in the mean vellus-like hair diameter after 6 months of supplement consumption, when compared to the mean vellus-like hair diameters measured at baseline. Discussion: These results support the view that a nutritional supplement approach may be useful for women in this age group to deal with subclinical hair thinning or hair loss conditions, and those components of this marine extract-based oral supplement may be a useful adjunct.
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