Dietary Supplement Increases Anagen Hair Rate in Women With Telogen Effluvium: Results of a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

December 2006 in “ Therapy ”

Nadine Lengg, Barbara Heidecker, Burkhardt Seifert, Ralph M. Trüeb

telogen effluvium L-cystine medicinal yeast pantothenic acid Pantogar anagen hair rate TrichoScan minoxidil female pattern hair loss Rogaine

TLDR The dietary supplement helped increase hair growth in women with hair loss.

In a 2007 study involving 30 women with telogen effluvium, a condition causing hair loss, a dietary supplement containing L-cystine, medicinal yeast, and pantothenic acid (Pantogar®) was tested over a 6-month period. Using digitalized epiluminescent microscopy (TrichoScan), the study found a significant increase in the anagen hair rate, which is the growth phase of the hair cycle, in the group taking the supplement compared to the placebo group. The study concluded that the dietary supplement could be beneficial for treating hair loss related to synchronization phenomena of hair cycling and might be a useful addition to minoxidil therapy, especially in cases of female pattern hair loss with partial synchronization in telogen. The study was funded by Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH.

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