Effects of Dietary Supplements on Androgenetic Alopecia: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

This study found that a novel dietary supplement, AGA-P, when combined with minoxidil and finasteride, significantly improved the clinical efficacy of these drugs for treating mild-to-severe androgenic alopecia compared to drug treatment alone over six months.

This meta-analysis found that among topical OTC treatments for male androgenetic alopecia, minoxidil 5% applied twice daily was the most effective in increasing total hair density over 24 weeks.

In this review, researchers explore various treatment options for alopecia, focusing on nano-drug delivery systems using plant-based substances, which are potentially effective and less harmful than current treatments, while also highlighting emerging trends such as 3D bioprinting and plant extracts for future therapies.

This review investigated various herbal remedies for hair loss and found potential benefits in promoting hair growth across several conditions like androgenetic alopecia and alopecia areata. However, the authors noted limitations in existing studies and recommended more robust trials to confirm efficacy.

This study suggests that addressing hormonal, stress, and metabolic factors with vitamins, minerals, and botanicals, which has improved hair growth in women, might also benefit men experiencing hair thinning.

This study found that a combination of probiotic strains of Lactiplantibacillus administered over 16 weeks reduced the number and density of telogen hairs in individuals with androgenic alopecia, while increasing the abundance of Lactobacillus in their gut microbiota.

This study found that omega-6 and certain LDL cholesterol fractions are risk factors for androgenetic alopecia, suggesting a causal link between these lipid-related metabolites and the condition, which could inform future therapeutic approaches.

Finasteride can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, and lasting psychiatric and sexual issues.

This review highlights potential therapeutic mechanisms of natural products for androgenetic alopecia, suggesting they may modulate signaling pathways and have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

This study reviewed the effectiveness of natural treatments like pumpkin seed oil and rosemary oil for androgenetic alopecia and found them potentially effective with minimal side effects compared to standard treatments like minoxidil. However, more research is needed to confirm their efficacy.

In this randomized controlled trial, researchers found that participants with androgenic alopecia taking an Annurca apple extract supplement showed significant increases in hair density and weight and reduced hair loss compared to a placebo, with good skin and gastrointestinal tolerability over 180 days.

In this randomized controlled trial, the nutritional supplement PPT5 α was associated with increased terminal hair percentages and improved self-assessed hair parameters in women with early-stage androgenetic alopecia.

This review suggests that certain nutritional supplements may have a potential role in improving hair loss, though evidence quality varies, and such treatments should be discussed collaboratively between physicians and patients.

This review compiles existing information on the pathogenesis of androgenetic alopecia, highlighting its genetic, hormonal, and environmental factors, but reports no new clinical findings.

In this study, ALRV5XR treatment significantly increased terminal hair density in men with androgenetic alopecia after 24 weeks, while also decreasing vellus hair density, and was well tolerated without adverse events, suggesting its potential efficacy over standard therapies.

This study involving male patients with androgenic alopecia found that a higher baseline zinc plasma level, specifically above 10 µmol/L, may predict the success of treatment with 5% topical minoxidil, correlating with increased hair density and diameter in the parietal area.

This study found that components derived from Uromedic® pumpkin seeds, especially Δ7-sterols, may inhibit DHT production and AR binding, potentially benefiting prostate and bladder health by moderating these mechanisms.

In this study, researchers found that a polyphenolic extract from Annurca apples, high in procyanidin B2, increased hair growth, density, and keratin content in healthy subjects after 2 months of use, and stimulated keratin biosynthesis in vitro.

In this study, Geranium sibiricum L. extract promoted hair growth in vitro with human dermal papilla cells and in vivo in mice, outperforming minoxidil by proliferating cells and stimulating growth factor expression, suggesting its potential as a hair growth treatment.

This review discusses the use of biotin for hair and nail growth, noting clinical improvement in cases with existing pathologies, but concludes there is insufficient evidence supporting its benefits for healthy individuals.

In this clinical trial, supplementation with Lambdapil® Anti Hair Loss capsules for 6 months significantly improved hair resistance and volume in women and increased the anagen/telogen hair ratio in men, indicating enhanced hair growth compared to the placebo group.

This study found that a marine complex supplement significantly reduced hair shedding and increased hair growth in men with thinning hair over 180 days.

This study found that the dietary supplement RJ-SP4AGA significantly improved hair growth and reduced hair loss in post-menopausal women with androgenetic alopecia over 16 weeks.

This study found that a 6-month supplementation with omega 3, omega 6, and antioxidants significantly improved hair density and reduced hair loss in women with female pattern hair loss.

This clinical trial found that the extract complex of Cistanche tubulosa and Laminaria japonica (MK-R7) significantly improved hair density and diameter in patients with patterned hair loss over 16 weeks.

This study found that caffeine enhanced hair growth and keratinocyte proliferation in human hair follicles, with female follicles showing greater sensitivity than male ones.

In this study, topical application of Angelica sinensis extract on mice promoted hair regrowth by influencing key hair cycle pathways and reducing keratinocyte apoptosis during the catagen phase.

This study found that increased dihydrotestosterone levels were observed in both androgenetic alopecia patients and controls, suggesting that follicle sensitivity to DHT may be more critical than DHT levels for alopecia development.

This study found that men with androgenetic alopecia treated with pumpkin seed oil for 24 weeks experienced a notable 40% increase in hair count compared to a 10% increase with a placebo.

This review examines misconceptions and gaps in the understanding of androgenic alopecia (AGA) etiopathogenesis, offering new perspectives but no new experimental results.

In this study, 68% of patients treated with finasteride showed improved hair growth in male androgenetic alopecia, compared to 38% with Serenoa repens, indicating finasteride's superior efficacy.

This study found that Grateloupia elliptica extract may help treat hair loss by promoting dermal papilla cell proliferation, inhibiting 5α-reductase, and reducing inflammation in various cell types.

This study aimed to examine the effects of a nutritional formula containing fenugreek seed extract and micronutrients on androgenetic alopecia, but it reports no new clinical results.

This study found that peripilar signs on the scalp are linked to perifollicular lymphocytic infiltrates in early androgenetic alopecia, detectable even in areas with high hair density.

This study found that 60% of men with mild to moderate androgenetic alopecia showed improvement after treatment with botanically derived 5AR inhibitors, suggesting these compounds may be effective, though larger trials are needed.

This study suggests that miniaturization in pattern hair loss may occur abruptly and can be reversed with treatment, as supported by histologic evidence in finasteride-responsive patients.

This study found that androgenetic alopecia causes significant psychological distress, particularly in women, who exhibit a more negative body image and less adaptive functioning compared to controls.