Abstract
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel oral supplement, Forti5
®
, containing green tea extract, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, cholecalciferol, melatonin, beta-sitosterol, and soy isoflavones, and in the management of subjects with androgenetic alopecia.
Design:
A prospective case series of 10 subjects.
Setting:
Open-label, evaluator-blinded, proof-of-concept study.
Participants:
Ten adult subjects with androgenetic alopecia completed the study. Subjects were not allowed to use oral or topical hair growth products in the 24 weeks preceding the study or during the study. The nutritional supplement was administered at a dosage of two tablets daily for 24 weeks.
Measurements:
Clinical evaluations were performed at baseline and at 24 weeks. Efficacy was evaluated using hair mass index measured by cross section trichometer, terminal hair count measured with dermoscopy and Investigator Global Photography Assessment.
Results:
Overall 80 percent of subjects (8/10) were rated as improved after 24 weeks of supplementation (mean change of +1.4 equivalent to slightly-to-moderately increased). Forty percent of subjects (4/10) were rated as moderately improved (2+), and 10 percent (1/10) were rated as greatly improved (3+). There was a significant improvement in terminal hair count (mean increase of 5.9% or 4.2 more terminal hairs in the area examined,
p
=0.014) and in Hair Mass Index (mean increase of 9.5% or 4.5 higher Hair Mass Index,
p
=0.003).
Conclusion:
These preliminary results indicate that Forti5
®
a novel nutritional supplement that contains cholecalciferol, omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, melatonin, antioxidants, and botanical 5-alpha reductase inhibitors, may be a useful adjunct in the treatment of androgenetic alopecia.