Pharmacological Aspect of Linum Usitatissimum: Flax Ingestion on Hair Growth in Rabbits
January 2014
TLDR Eating flaxseed made rabbit hair longer and thicker and improved their weight and blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
The study on 16 New Zealand rabbits over a 12-week period found that a diet supplemented with 2.5% ground flaxseed (Linum usitatissimum) resulted in a significant 26% increase in hair length and a 7% increase in hair diameter by the third month, compared to the control group. Additionally, the rabbits on the flaxseed diet showed a 3% increase in mean live weight, a 9% decrease in glycemia, and a 22% decrease in cholesterolemia. The study concluded that flaxseed ingestion is safe and positively affects hair density, but it highlighted the need for further research to understand the underlying mechanisms, optimal dosing, and effects on hair structure and composition.
