The oral intake of specific Bioactive Collagen Peptides has a positive effect on hair thickness

Abstract

The effectiveness of supplementation with Bioactive Collagen Peptides (BCP) on the health and appearance of the skin and nails has been proven in several clinical trials. The influence of BCP supplementation on hair, however, has not been investigated to the same extent. In this placebo-controlled study, therefore, the effects of BCP intake on hair thickness and metabolism were investigated. The study was conducted on 44 healthy women aged between 39 and 75, who each received a daily dosage of 2.5 g BCP or placebo. After a treatment period of 16 weeks, hair thickness was determined and compared with the thickness at the beginning of the trial. In addition, the proliferation rate of human hair follicle cells that had been exposed to BCP was examined and the results compared with untreated control cells. The data showed a statistically significant (p<0.01) increase in the cell proliferation rate of 31% compared to the controls. The measurement of hair thickness showed a statistically significant (p<0.01) increase in the BCP group compared to placebo. Over the course of the collagen peptide treatment, hair thickness increased significantly by 1.93 ± 0.42 μm (p<0.01), whereas a slight decrease in hair thickness of -0.99 ± 0.40 μm (p=0.07) was measured in the placebo group. This clearly demonstrates the positive effect of BCP treatment on hair thickness and follicle cell proliferation.