ALOPECIA AND BLACK CURRENT

The purpose of this paper is to investigate a Black Currant product as remedy for alopecia (hair loss/baldness) in males over 55 years of age. The product is Viviscal and one of its primary active ingredients for arresting alopecia is said to be Black Currant which is a berry producing shrub that grows in Europe and has traditionally been used in brandy and other spirits (Grieve, 2003). In this paper, the product is described in detail along with its promises regarding alopecia. The description is followed by an examination of the scientific research on Black Currant in general and the Viviscal product in particular. Based on this research, conclusions are then formulated regarding the efficacy of the product and Black Currant in relation alopecia. The final section of the paper discusses consumer protection issues.

The specific product that is examined here is Viviscal which is billed as a safe, natural way to combat hair loss in both men and women from youth until well into their middle years (which would include people over 55 years of age). Viviscal is said to be a food supplement whose main ingredients are derived from fish; however, its key active ingredient is said to be the black currant extract used in the product. This claim is made based on early research said to show that when Viviscal is compared to the same fish derivatives without the Black Currant, the results are not as positive (see: Lassus, A. & Eskeline

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the Aurora Group (2003), the product begins to work after 4-6 months of use. This time lag is said to take place because the Viviscal nutrients accumulate slowly in the human system depending upon the speed of one's metabolism. However, after four to six months, these nutrients are said to reach a threshold point, at which point the change is said to be dramatic. Scientific Evidence Does Viviscal work? Although the Aurora Group (2003) cites some clinical research in favor of the product, this research was NOT published in any peer-reviewed scientific journal and was paid for by the manufacturer of the product, both of these facts throwing the positive outcomes observed in this research into doubt. Further, the one scientific study that was conducted by Lassus and Eskelinen (1992) was conducted over a decade ago. With respect to Lassus and Eskelinen's (1992) study, the research used a small sample, suffered from subject mortality, and it showed positive but minimal results in young males only. Further, of the 67 current studies that have been conducted to examine the effects of Black Currant oil and other Black Currant extracts (which were found in a MEDLINE database search), not one study found any effects of these product

Category: Business - A