Hair loss is a common concern amongst men. It usually starts later in life, but some men notice a receding hairline as early as their 20s. Hair loss generally begins subtly, but over time, especially if you don’t do something about it, you may see bald spots appear on your head.
There are many strategies men try out to help with a receding hairline and signs of male pattern baldness. One common question is: Can amino acids help with hair loss in men?
Let’s take a look at what amino acids are, what they do, and the role they may play in hair health.
What are Amino Acids and Why are They Important?
Amino acids are small molecules that form proteins. They’re often referred to as the building blocks of protein. When they group, they can create different kinds of proteins. These proteins, in turn, play a role in helping to synthesize hormones and neurotransmitters.
The functions of amino acids vary. Some help with growth, tissue repair, and there are even amino acids that play critical roles in maintaining the immune system.
What are the roles of the amino acids?
Amino acids have many roles to play in the body. Some of these include:
- Break down food
- Grow and repair body tissue
- Make hormones and brain chemicals (neurotransmitters)
- Provide an energy source
- Maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails
- Build muscle
- Boost the immune system
- Sustain a standard digestive system
What are the essential Amino Acids?
There are different kinds of amino acids. The body can’t make some of them, so we need to ensure we get enough of them through our daily food intake. These include:
- Phenylalanine plays an integral role in the production, structure, and function of other amino acids. This amino acid turns into the neurotransmitters tyrosine, dopamine, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
- Valine helps with energy production, muscle growth, and muscle regeneration.
- Threonine is an essential part of structural proteins, like collagen and elastin. It plays a vital role in skin and connective tissue, immune function, and fat metabolism.
- Tryptophan is a precursor to serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates appetite, mood, and sleep.
- Methionine is necessary for tissue growth, the absorption of zinc and selenium, and for metabolism and detoxification.
- Leucine is vital for protein synthesis and muscle repair. It also produces growth hormone, regulates blood sugar, and stimulates wound healing.
- Isoleucine is heavily concentrated in muscle tissue and is part of muscle metabolism. It is also crucial for energy regulation, hemoglobin production, and immune protection.
- Lysine plays a vital role. It helps with calcium absorption, protein synthesis, energy production, and immune function, and is essential to the production of hormones, enzymes, collagen, and elastin.
- Histidine maintains the protective sheath of myelin that surrounds the nerve cells. It also produces histamine, a neurotransmitter needed for immune response, sexual and digestive function, and sleep regulation.
What are non-essential amino acids?
There are two broad categories of amino acids. This includes essential and non-essential amino acids. The ones we already covered are the essential ones. These are the amino acids you need to make sure you get from your daily food intake or supplements.
Non-essential amino acids, however, are the building blocks of protein that your body is actually able to produce on its own. It’s sometimes necessary to supplement with some extra non-essential amino acids, so it’s still essential to know which ones fall within this category.
The 11 non-essential amino acids include:
- Alanine helps metabolize and clear toxins from the body.
- Asparagine for healthy brain cells and central nervous system support.
- Aspartic Acid produces other amino acids and essential enzymes.
- Arginine boosts nitric oxide for better blood pressure and blood flow.
- Cysteine stimulates collagen production and makes the antioxidant glutathione.
- Glutamic Acid provides energy for the brain and keeps ammonia levels in check.
- Glutamine is for digestion, cognitive function, and immune health.
- Glycine heals wounds and aids in movement, vision, and hearing.
- Proline repairs tissues and regenerates skin.
- Serine for muscle metabolism, fat burning, immune health, and positive mood.
- Tyrosine helps alleviate depression, hypertension, and chronic pain.
How do I ensure I am getting all of the essential amino acids?
All of the essential amino acids are available with a varied diet of healthy foods.
Foods that contain all nine essential amino acids are called complete proteins. These typically include meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, and dairy products.
Soy and pea protein are plant-based complete proteins. While other plant proteins, such as nuts, beans, and certain grains, are not complete proteins, they can be combined to make a complete protein.
Combine legumes and whole grains such as rice and beans, lentils and barley, or peanut butter on 100% wheat bread.
Apart from food sources, it’s important to note that you can also obtain amino acids from specific supplements. There are high-quality amino acid supplements that help you get all of these compounds you need to form complete proteins.
Amino acid therapies have also become quite popular, which focus on using laboratory-made amino acids to supplement your body.
The Role of Amino Acids in Hair Loss
Now that you have a better idea of what amino acids are, the question that remains is, can amino acids help with hair loss?
As we discussed, these molecules play a role in the creation of protein. One vital protein when it comes to hair health is keratin. This is an essential factor for the structure of hair strands, and when keratin levels are low, hair breakage can occur.
When you take a closer look at products marketed as male pattern baldness treatments, you’ll often notice they include ingredients such as keratin. This is due to the important role that the protein plays.
With that said, you should understand that keratin isn’t a male pattern baldness cure. Adding amino acids to your diet and using products with amino acids doesn’t completely take this condition away.
Male pattern baldness in particular, for example, is largely related to the miniaturization of hair follicles. This is generally considered hormone-driven, with a focus on dihydrotestosterone, or DHT.
However, some men notice improvements in their hair loss symptoms when they integrate the right amino acids into their daily lives.
The effectiveness of these treatments and supplements also depends on how severe the male pattern of baldness and hair loss is. There are different male pattern baldness stages. The earlier you start to implement strategies to counter it, the more effective they may turn out to be. Amino acids are generally considered a supportive strategy alongside other medical treatments.
How can Androgenix help?
Androgenix is a facility that focuses on providing men with a complete solution to optimize their health. While our treatments often focus on restoring hormonal balance, our expert staff members are all well-equipped to help men understand how an imbalance in amino acids could contribute to hair loss. We can also help identify high levels of dihydrotestosterone, a key driver of male pattern baldness.
Contact us to learn how personalized amino acid therapy and other potential treatments may help restore vitality, enhance hair growth, and alleviate the symptoms you’re experiencing. We focus on individualized treatments to address your specific needs.
