Over half suffering from menopause hair loss
68% of Brits are unhappy about the look of their hair according to a new real-world research poll[1]. And while hot flushes, mood swings and sleep disturbances are commonplace on the list of menopausal symptoms, hair loss is also a very real problem for women going through menopause, with research suggesting that 52% of over 50 women globally experience hair loss[2].
That’s why the team of scientists from Aminoscience - a new evidence-backed, next-generation range of food and botanical supplements designed around amino acids has launched an Aminoscience Healthy Hair food supplement. This dietetic innovation literally feeds the hair with the nutrients it needs from the inside out.
Hair is often described as being the ‘crowning glory’ although it would seem this is not the case for many people, as discovered in new research by Aminoscience. And a staggering 43% of those questioned in the same poll didn’t know what amino acids are, so are certainly not going to understand their importance in creating proteins, essential for healthy hair.
The hair contains plenty of amino acids. Indeed, hair is particularly rich in cysteine, with approximately 18% of keratin being produced from this key amino acid. Keratin is the main structural protein in hair.
GP Dr Nisa Aslam, a member of the independent expert panel set up by Aminoscience to help communicate the importance of amino acids in health and wellness, explains that the hair is essentially made up of proteins but also needs a range of other nutrients too, including biotin which helps metabolise proteins, iron that delivers lots of oxygenated red blood cells to the scalp and zinc which is needed for normal hair. Dr Nisa Aslam notes: “We’re often lacking in any one of these nutrients hence taking this unique, Aminoscience Healthy Hair supplement can really make a noticeable difference to hair health”.
Dr Nisa Aslam adds: “Hair health can also become a real challenge with the perimenopause and menopause stages and many women complain of losing hair and their hair becoming thinner. Unfortunately, these hair health changes are all down to the hormonal changes that occur during perimenopause and menopause.
“As women move through their forties, their egg supplies run dry, and the hormones oestrogen and progesterone fall. Eventually, progesterone production ceases. Oestrogen is still produced - not from the ovaries but from the adrenal glands and fat cells. We need oestrogen for a multitude of bodily functions including bone maintenance, heart health, skin support and also healthy hair. The decrease in oestrogen, therefore, does have an impact on hair for many women,” explains Dr Nisa Aslam.
Talking further on hair health through menopause Suzie Sawyer, a clinical nutritionist and also a member of the Aminoscience expert panel notes: “Hair can appear thinner, slower to grow and it may also shed more than usual; just a few of the frustrating hair-related symptoms that the menopause can cause. Plus, the stress from hair loss can further enhance the loss of hair.
“Hair loss can have an impact on self-esteem, which in turn can trigger more stress and potentially even more hair loss.”
Suzie Sawyer adds: "Whilst most people have heard of collagen, they often don’t realise that collagen helps produce keratin, vital for our hair health and as a result, needs a range of nutrients to do its work such as vitamin C.”
The evidence-backed specialist formulation -Aminoscience Healthy Hair - contains four key amino acids needed for hair growth, and a healthy scalp and hair, plus fish collagen peptides, biotin, vitamin C, and iron, with copper needed for normal hair pigmentation.
Clinical nutritionist, Suzie Sawyer adds: “Stress is a major issue for hair health and the product contains vitamin B5 for normal mental performance, to help support the stress response.
“The essential amino acid methionine found in Healthy Hair also has a big part to play in supporting stress. It not only helps produce the hormone adrenaline, essential for our normal ‘fight or flight’ response, it helps to improve our resilience to stress[3]. Furthermore, methionine works within our antioxidant systems[4] to help the body combat free radicals which are a big no-no for hair health,” continues Suzie Sawyer.
What is very clear when it comes to hair health and especially when examining hair loss is that an individual’s overall nutritional status at whatever life stage is important, especially with intake of the micronutrients zinc, a range of B-vitamins, iron and vitamin E[5].
“Natural plant extracts in this food supplement – Aminoscience healthy Hair - come from rocket - a member of the super-healthy brassica family, and horsetail extract, a natural source of silica which is a well-known and researched botanical.
“If you’re struggling with hair issues, especially if you are going through the menopause, then you always have to look within for the answers to support overall nutritional wellbeing.”
