Protein found in hair and nails.

The state of hair and nails is often a reflection of the state of health. Over the years, they become more delicate and brittle; their growth and renewal slow down. Age weakens the hair and makes its shaft more vulnerable to specific manipulations. Illness, fatigue, and stress can also affect your appearance.

By being incorporated into the keratin of the hair or nail, nutrients such as B vitamins, sulfur amino acids, and essential minerals such as zinc or silicon can promote their growth and improve their appearance.

The hair, composed of 95% keratin

Hair is made up of a bulb and a hair shaft. Hair develops in concentric zones from the hair follicle. The cells multiply in the bulb located at the root of the hair/protein found in hair and nails, thanks to the oxygen and nutritional supplies carried by capillary walls. These cells, being progressively pushed upwards, are loaded with keratin – a protein rich in sulfur amino acids (cystine and methionine) to form the hair shaft made up of three concentric layers:

• In the center, the medulla, without particular activity, comprises cells without a nucleus that is poorly pigmented/protein found in hair and nails.

• The next layer, the cortex, constitutes the heart of the hair. It is made up of cells rich in keratin and melanin, the pigments that determine the color of the hair/protein found in hair and nails;

• The outer epithelial sheath, or cuticle, has a composition similar to that of the epidermis. The inner epithelial sheath, rich in glycoproteins, contains the nutrient-rich part essential for hair development. It shields the internal structure of the hair.

Hair growth goes through successive phases of development (anagen phase), regression (catagen phase), and rest (telogen phase) that result in hair/protein found in hair and nails death and shedding, followed by regrowth. These cycles occur from the fifth month and a half of fetal life; continue throughout life.

Nails, horny sheets composed of keratin protein found in hair and nails

The nail is a flexible, smooth, and translucent horny sheet, a superficial swelling of the skin made up of very dense and homogeneous keratin cells. It forms a matrix that holds the cells together and gives them their strength, hardness, solidity, and flexibility/protein found in hair and nails. An epidermal sleeve or matrix surrounds the nail; at this level, the formation of cells that originate from the nail occurs. A healthy staple farms an average of 0.10 mm per day.

Keratin, a protein-rich in sulfur amino acids

Keratin is a scleroprotein, and a protein made up of many amino acids. It comprises a combination of 18 amino acids, with a predominance of sulfur-containing amino acids, such as cysteine ​​or methionine. Thus, hair is composed of 14% cysteine ​​and nails 10%.

Cysteine’s richness in sulfur allows it to play an essential role in the cohesion, stability, and resistance of keratin and, therefore, in the cohesion, strength, and resistance of hair and nails/protein found in hair and nails. In effect, it forms bonds, or disulfide bridges, between the molecules, acting somewhat like a glue that holds the keratin fibers together.

Brittle, brittle nails or hair are often the result of too weak links between the cells that make them up. Therefore, sulfur and sulfur-containing amino acids play a significant role in the strength of hair and nails/protein found in hair and nails.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), a sulfur donor

Keratin is a protein in hair and nails that serves as a structural protein. Contains very high levels of sulfur, mainly present in amino acids such as cysteine, cystine, or methionine. MSM is used to maintain normal levels of keratin in hair and nails. It helps to make cell walls more permeable to facilitate the passage of essential nutrients, thus improving the quality of hair and nails/protein found in hair and nails.

Experiments using radioactive sulfur (35S) labeled MSM have shown that upon ingestion, MSM donates its sulfur to The amino acids selenium and cysteine, as well as other whey proteins. By this means, the sulfur finally reaches the skin, joints, and blood plate collagen. It is also integrated into the keratin of hair and nails. 

Brittle nails and hair are one of the first signs of a sulfur deficiency. In a six-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled research, sixteen men and five women were given either 3,000 mg of MSM or a placebo. The health of their hair/protein found in hair and nails (length, shine, diameter) was monitored using standard rating scales. Significant improvements in hair health and appearance were observed in subjects receiving MSM supplementation, with the most notable changes in hair length and shine.

Another study examined the health and appearance of the nails of 11 subjects who received 3,000 mg of MSM or a placebo daily for six weeks. MSM supplementation significantly improved the appearance and strength of the subjects’ nails/protein found in hair and nails.

Sulfur amino acids essential for growth

Cysteine ​​plays a vital role in the protein form of keratin, which is excellent in hair and nails. The growth rate, protein synthesis, and the hair fiber’s diameter depend on cysteine availability. In vitro tests indicate a decrease in the cysteine ​​content of hair/protein found in hair and nails/protein found in hair and nails. follicles in culture cause a dose-dependent reduction in the growth rate of the diameter of the fiber produced.

The consumption of cysteine, in the form of L-cysteine ​​or N-acetylcysteine, stimulates the growth of hair and nails and makes them less brittle. It is derived from cysteine. It is also an antioxidant that makes it possible to fight free radicals and aging. Studies have shown that taurine has a specific protective action on the hair bulb, especially:

• by opposing the process of deformation and compression of the bulb.

• by prolonging the survival and growth of hair.

Silicon gives strength and resistance to hair and nails

Silicon is an essential trace mineral for skin and bone health. It promotes the formation of collagen, which is critical to the strength and healthy development of epithelial and connective tissues.

 The outer sheath of the hair, which gives it strength and stability, is rich in silicon. Coat with a high silicon content tends to fall out less and is brighter and more lustrous. Silicon is also the predominant mineral in nails. Brittle and brittle nails/protein found in hair and nails. are a sign of silicon deficiency.

 Scientific work has shown that taking silicon supplements for two to three weeks makes nails shinier and less brittle. Soviet studies indicate that silicon stops hair loss and promotes growth.

A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study examined the ability of silicon to improve skin, nail, and hair health in women with sun-damaged skin. The women in the study received 10 mg of silicon or a placebo daily for 20 weeks. Throughout the study, it took measurements to assess skin, hair, and nail health. The results showed that the silicon supplements made the nails/protein found in hair and nails and hair less rough and less brittle.

It examined the effect of choline-stabilized silicon in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 48 women with fine hair. They took either 10 mg daily of choline-stabilized silicon or a placebo for nine months. The results showed that the hair section increased in women who had received supplements. His hair thickened, and its elasticity improved.

Zinc is essential for the growth and vitality of nails and hair

Zinc is an essential trace mineral that plays a fundamental role in hair and nails growth and vitality as it synthesizes keratin. It is necessary for keratin protein/protein found in hair and nails production. It favors the bonds between the sulfur terminations, protecting them from the attacks of free radicals. Zinc is also involved in synthesizing essential fatty acids that feed the tissues surrounding the hair bulb and prevent it from drying out. Zinc is necessary to mobilize vitamin A that helps lubricate the hair/protein found in hair and nails, moisturize the scalp, and avoid flaking (dandruff).

The high zinc concentration in the scalp indicates that it plays an important role. A lack of zinc can weaken hair and nails: it can be manifested by a slowdown in hair growth associated with weakened, brittle, and open nails/protein found in hair and nails. Some studies show that oral zinc supplementation may help resolve nail abnormalities in yellow nail syndrome.

 Finally, in the case of androgenic hair loss, it helps to inhibit 5-alpha reductase, an enzyme located in the scalp that causes excess sebum and hair loss.

B vitamins

Biotin strengthens nail strength and stops hair

loss Biotin, a B vitamin, can strengthen hair and nails/protein found in hair and nails by promoting cross-linking. Clinical studies indicate that biotin (daily intake between 1 and 3 mg) is associated with thicker and stronger nails. Biotin deficiencies are significantly associated with hair loss or alopecia. Brittle and brittle nails are often found, especially in women with low biotin levels. 

Seventy-one patients were treated with an oral dose of 2.5 mg biotin. Of the 45 people it could evaluate at the end of the study, 41 (91%) showed clear improvements with harder nails/protein found in hair and nails after approximately 5.5 months of treatment 4. Another study in Switzerland conducted a 25% increase in nail thickness after biotin supplementation in subjects with brittle nails 5. The issues had taken biotin for three to six months.

Biotin stimulates hair follicle growth. In common male androgenic alopecia, the consumption of biotin enables a temporary cessation of hair loss and makes its dull, brittle appearance and loss of pigmentation disappear. Biotin has a stimulating action on the hair/protein found in hair and nails follicle and a proven anti-seborrheic action.

 Inositol

Inositol intervenes in the metabolism of fats and improves the health of the hair and the epidermis. It is a constituent of all cells of the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom. Its chemical form is identical to simple sugar, but the atoms are arranged differently. Inositol is essential for hair health because it protects the follicle from cell damage.

A lack of inositol causes hair loss in mice; the little mice see how it stops growing. In people, this can result in the appearance of baldness.