learning about supplements

[jimmyjames]

I was wondering if anyone here knows of a good, reliable website to research supplements and vitamins. Everytime I google a supplement (especially combined with the word "hairloss"), I get a lot of crap, contradictory information, and sites just trying to sell me stuff.

I'm particularly interested in learning about saw palmetto, B-complex, and zinc. Is there anyone here who uses any of these in their regimens and feels that they are helpful? I'm not dumb enough to think these will miraculously cure my hairloss on their own, but combined with other treatments, I feel they could definitely have some positive effects at a relatively low cost.

Thanks!

 

[CCS]

I don't know what the effects of zink are.

do a google search with the word "study" or "p = ". Also try http://www.googlescholar.com

saw palmentto is only very slightly effectlive, and probably weaker than minoxidil. it only works if it is in its oil. oils are made of 3 fatty acids bonded to a glycerol. some have a very small percentage of their fatty acids floating freely, and saw palmetto has the highest percentage fatty acids in free from of almost all oils, but he percentage is still low, and they are not the most potent fatty acids. That is why I'm buying flax and borage seed oil and breaking the fatty acid/ glycerol bonds myself, to make cheap, concentrated fatty acid. Revivogen has fatty acids, and Bryan says they make up 40% of the solution, though he did not say which one, and the site does not state the amount or how much of each fatty acid is in revivogen. Oleic is the cheapest, and the weakest with some 5ar blocking ability.

 

[Guest]

Hello, I am also planing to add a large amount of dietary supplements. I am not sure whether my hair will eventually benefit but I am sure that it won´t do me any harm. For information I generally prefer Wikipedia. Yes, one can never be sure whether everything is accurate, but most people who write there seem to know what they are talking about it. This is what Wikipedia says about zinc:

Zinc is an essential element, necessary for sustaining all life. It is estimated that 3000 of the hundreds of thousands of proteins in the human body contain zinc prosthetic groups. In addition, there are over a dozen types of cells in the human body that secrete zinc ions, and the roles of these secreted zinc signals in medicine and health are now being actively studied. Intriguingly, brain cells in the mammalian forebrain are one type of cell that secretes zinc, along with its other neuronal messenger substances. Cells in the salivary gland, prostate, immune system and intestine are other types that secrete zinc.

Zinc is an activator of certain enzymes, such as carbonic anhydrase. Carbonic anhydrase is important in the transport of carbon dioxide in vertebrate blood. It is also required in plants for leaf formation, the synthesis of indole acetic acid (auxin) and anaerobic respiration (alcoholic fermentation).

 

[sublime]

Those are all really good choices except SP which has shown very little use in even the natural community. Better choices would be beta-sis and Nettle.

Research on the web is difficult to go through and a lot of things seem to be stated matter-o-factly. I like to stick with studies on http://www.pubmed.com that prove the effects of a given supplement. You must also understand that hair loss is not simply about DHT. If it were just about DHT then there would be no use for these forums as propecia and dutasteride would put an end to hair loss. Things such as fibrosis, PKC, IGF-1, TNF Alpha, TGF Beta and I am sure others (those are the main ones) contribute to hair loss. Taking into account those factors things like TGF Beta can be lowered by supplements like Pomegranate which contains a high amount of ellagic acid. According to a pubmed study ellagic acid is known to lower TGF Beta.

Best of luck.

 

[jimmyjames]

zinc

Thanks for the pointers -- does anyone know how much zinc is safe to take every day? I actually heard too much zinc can cause hair loss, so I'd like to stay away from that....