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Apple Juice Ingredient May Stop Hair Loss
Bald men who don't like the side effects of conventional hair growth medicines may soon be slathering apple juice on their heads instead.
A recently released study shows that an ingredient in apples and apple juice--procyanidin B-2--significantly increases hair growth in men with male pattern baldness.
Proanthocyanidins are natural chemicals that have a wide range of benefits, including skin protection and hair growth.
Previous studies in mice have showed that procyanidin B-2, a type of proanthocyanidin, causes hair growth at a rate that is 300 percent faster than a similar placebo.
In this study, authors from the Tsukuba Research Laboratories and the Watanabe Dermatological Clinic in Japan investigated the hair growth and side effects of a 1 percent procyanidin B-2 solution extracted from commercially available apple juice.
For 6 months, 19 men received a daily topical dose of 30 mg of the procyanidin-B2 hair tonic, while another 10 received a placebo that looked and smelled the same. Hair growth--including hair density and diameter--were measured using microscopes and photographs.
Results revealed that men who received procyanidin B-2 grew more total hairs and more dense hairs than the placebo group. When the researchers compared their results with those of currently available medications, they found that procyanidin B-2 caused less hair growth than minoxidil (Rogaine), but a greater increase in total hairs than finasteride (Proscar). Unlike these prescription drugs, procyanidin B-2 produced no side effects such as itching or irritation.
The scientists speculated that antioxidants in procyanidin B-2 defeat male baldness by decreasing the scalp swelling that may cause hair loss. "The suppression of inflammation mediated by procyanidin B-2 returns the scalp to a healthy condition, consequently leading to a cure for baldness," they said. The authors are now planning further research on the length of time and the dose at which procyanidin B-2 is most effective. And they've figured out a way to get this natural chemical to bald men without using apple juice off the grocery shelf--by extracting it from green apples.
References
Kamimura A, Takahashi T, Watanabe Y. Investigation of topical application of procyanidin B-2 from apple to identify its potential use as a hair growing agent. Phytomedicine. 2000;7(6):529-536.
Proanthocyanidins Clinical studies
“Proanthocyanidins promote hair follicle cell proliferation and the anagen phase of hair growth.â€
Takahashi T, Kamiya T, Yokoo Y. Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 78: 428-432, 1998.
In recently published research, Takahashi et al examined 1000 different plant products to determine if any of them could influence hair growth. They also determined that proanthocyanidins converted the telogen (non-growing) phase of hair growth into the anagen (growing) phase of hair growth [1]. In this experiment, proanthocyanidins displayed hair-cycle-converting activity which was similar to that of minoxidil. At the end of their report, the authors say that “We are now investigating the possibility of the use of proanthocyanidins as agents for curing androgenic alopecia.â€
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"The Hair-Growing Activity of Procyanidin Oligomers"
Department of Dermatology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama, JP.
Procyanidins are a family of condensed tannins we have identified in apples, which act as a hair-growing factor in the murine model both in vitro and in vivo. We have previously reported that the growth-promoting effect on murine hair epithelial cells attributable to procyanidin B-2, one species of procyanidin oligomer, reaches about 300% relative to controls; and have also shown that procyanidin B-2 possesses intensive anagen-inducing activity in the C3H in vivo mouse model. This presentation describes our investigations during a 12-month clinical trial of highly purified procyanidin oligomers isolated from unripe apples, chiefly comprising procyanidin B-2, procyanidin B-1, and procyanidin C-1. The clinical trial was performed in a total of 21 subjects showing male pattern baldness on the head. The test agent (about 1.8 ml per dose) was applied to the subjects’ affected scalp area twice a day, giving a daily dose of 16 mg of procyanidin oligomers. During the 12 months of twice-daily application of the agent, the hair-growing effects were evaluated according to the following parameters: the macrophotographically recorded change in the number of hairs in the designated scalp area, the changes in the diameter of hairs clipped from the designated scalp area, and the changes in the photographically recorded global view of the subjects’ heads. No side effects were observed in any subjects. After 12 months of use, 71% of the subjects showed an increased number of hairs in the designated scalp area relative to pre-trial measurements. The numbers of total hairs in the designated scalp area after the 12-month trial were significantly greater than the measured values at the start of the trial (paired t-test, p < 0.005). We also observed a clear trend towards increased number of non-vellus hairs (> 40 µm) in the designated scalp area after the 12-month trial compared to the values measured at the start of the test. A number of the subjects showed cosmetically satisfactory changes. Procyanidin therapy shows promise as a potential cure for male pattern baldness.
Bald men who don't like the side effects of conventional hair growth medicines may soon be slathering apple juice on their heads instead.
A recently released study shows that an ingredient in apples and apple juice--procyanidin B-2--significantly increases hair growth in men with male pattern baldness.
Proanthocyanidins are natural chemicals that have a wide range of benefits, including skin protection and hair growth.
Previous studies in mice have showed that procyanidin B-2, a type of proanthocyanidin, causes hair growth at a rate that is 300 percent faster than a similar placebo.
In this study, authors from the Tsukuba Research Laboratories and the Watanabe Dermatological Clinic in Japan investigated the hair growth and side effects of a 1 percent procyanidin B-2 solution extracted from commercially available apple juice.
For 6 months, 19 men received a daily topical dose of 30 mg of the procyanidin-B2 hair tonic, while another 10 received a placebo that looked and smelled the same. Hair growth--including hair density and diameter--were measured using microscopes and photographs.
Results revealed that men who received procyanidin B-2 grew more total hairs and more dense hairs than the placebo group. When the researchers compared their results with those of currently available medications, they found that procyanidin B-2 caused less hair growth than minoxidil (Rogaine), but a greater increase in total hairs than finasteride (Proscar). Unlike these prescription drugs, procyanidin B-2 produced no side effects such as itching or irritation.
The scientists speculated that antioxidants in procyanidin B-2 defeat male baldness by decreasing the scalp swelling that may cause hair loss. "The suppression of inflammation mediated by procyanidin B-2 returns the scalp to a healthy condition, consequently leading to a cure for baldness," they said. The authors are now planning further research on the length of time and the dose at which procyanidin B-2 is most effective. And they've figured out a way to get this natural chemical to bald men without using apple juice off the grocery shelf--by extracting it from green apples.
References
Kamimura A, Takahashi T, Watanabe Y. Investigation of topical application of procyanidin B-2 from apple to identify its potential use as a hair growing agent. Phytomedicine. 2000;7(6):529-536.
Proanthocyanidins Clinical studies
“Proanthocyanidins promote hair follicle cell proliferation and the anagen phase of hair growth.â€
Takahashi T, Kamiya T, Yokoo Y. Acta Derm Venereol (Stockh) 78: 428-432, 1998.
In recently published research, Takahashi et al examined 1000 different plant products to determine if any of them could influence hair growth. They also determined that proanthocyanidins converted the telogen (non-growing) phase of hair growth into the anagen (growing) phase of hair growth [1]. In this experiment, proanthocyanidins displayed hair-cycle-converting activity which was similar to that of minoxidil. At the end of their report, the authors say that “We are now investigating the possibility of the use of proanthocyanidins as agents for curing androgenic alopecia.â€
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"The Hair-Growing Activity of Procyanidin Oligomers"
Department of Dermatology, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Sugitani, Toyama, JP.
Procyanidins are a family of condensed tannins we have identified in apples, which act as a hair-growing factor in the murine model both in vitro and in vivo. We have previously reported that the growth-promoting effect on murine hair epithelial cells attributable to procyanidin B-2, one species of procyanidin oligomer, reaches about 300% relative to controls; and have also shown that procyanidin B-2 possesses intensive anagen-inducing activity in the C3H in vivo mouse model. This presentation describes our investigations during a 12-month clinical trial of highly purified procyanidin oligomers isolated from unripe apples, chiefly comprising procyanidin B-2, procyanidin B-1, and procyanidin C-1. The clinical trial was performed in a total of 21 subjects showing male pattern baldness on the head. The test agent (about 1.8 ml per dose) was applied to the subjects’ affected scalp area twice a day, giving a daily dose of 16 mg of procyanidin oligomers. During the 12 months of twice-daily application of the agent, the hair-growing effects were evaluated according to the following parameters: the macrophotographically recorded change in the number of hairs in the designated scalp area, the changes in the diameter of hairs clipped from the designated scalp area, and the changes in the photographically recorded global view of the subjects’ heads. No side effects were observed in any subjects. After 12 months of use, 71% of the subjects showed an increased number of hairs in the designated scalp area relative to pre-trial measurements. The numbers of total hairs in the designated scalp area after the 12-month trial were significantly greater than the measured values at the start of the trial (paired t-test, p < 0.005). We also observed a clear trend towards increased number of non-vellus hairs (> 40 µm) in the designated scalp area after the 12-month trial compared to the values measured at the start of the test. A number of the subjects showed cosmetically satisfactory changes. Procyanidin therapy shows promise as a potential cure for male pattern baldness.
