Efficacy and Safety of a Food Supplement Containing L-cystine, Serenoa repens Extract and Biotin for Hair Loss in Healthy Males and Females. A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blinded, Controlled Clinical Trial

Mridvika Narda; Sonia Aladren; Enza Cestone; Vincenzo Nobile

doi:10.4172/2471-9323.1000127

Efficacy and Safety of a Food Supplement Containing L-cystine, Serenoa repens Extract and Biotin for Hair Loss in Healthy Males and Females. A Prospective, Randomized, Double-blinded, Controlled Clinical Trial

Abstract

Mridvika Narda*, Sonia Aladren, Enza Cestone and Vincenzo Nobile

Background: Hair loss in both men and women can be a psychologically stressful condition. Dietary insufficiency of essential micronutrients has been associated with hair health and hair loss.
Objective: The aim of this clinical trial was to investigate the safety of use and the efficacy of a food supplement containing L-cystine, Serenoa repens, Equisetum extract, zinc, and vitamins (Lambdapil® Anti Hair Loss capsules, ISDIN, Provençals, Barcelona, Spain) in improving hair loss in both women and men.
Patients/Methods: Men with androgenic alopecia and women with acute telogen effluvium were randomized to receive two capsules per day of the test product or the placebo product during a 6 months treatment period. Hair resistance to pulling and count were measured in women and men, respectively, by pull testing and phototrichogram. The overall hair volume and overall hair appearance were assessed before and after the treatment as were subject’s self-assessment via a standardized questionnaire.
Results: In women, the number of hairs removed in the pull test decreased earlier for test product treated group over the 6-month period with a significantly greater decrease (p<0.05) for the treated group (12.9 at baseline vs. 6.5 hairs at 6 M) compared to the placebo group (12.8 at baseline vs. 8.8 hairs at 6 M). For men, the anagen/telogen ratio increased in the Lambdapil® treated group by 23.4% over baseline (1.93 vs. 2.36 at baseline and 6 M, respectively) indicating that there were more hair in the growing phase vs. placebo treated group (1.81 vs 1.75 at baseline and 6 M, respectively; p<0.05). The hair volume and aspect in Lambdapil® treated group improved at 1, 3 and 6 months significantly more than placebo group (p<0.05). The treatment was well tolerated.
Conclusion: Dietary supplementation with Lambdapil® Anti Hair Loss capsules for 6-months was safe and effective in both women and men suffering from hair loss.