Nutrient-Dense, Functional Foods Enhance Hair, Skin, and Nail Appearance.
All measurements of the general quality of life improved over 8 weeks. Significant
improvements were for feeling better, fullness, having more energy, sleeping
better, less stress, and better focus. These findings were not surprising
and were observed in other studies where participants consumed one nutrient-dense functional food daily.
There were several limitations of this study. First, we did not include a
control arm as we considered this to be a pilot study
and a proof of concept that nutrient-rich foods affect appearance; subsequent
studies by us or others should include control arms.
Secondly, we included both normal and overweight individuals which could affect the results
of appearance. The third limitation was that exercise could be a factor on appearance, and
we did not consider this on in our analyses.
One’s appearance is of intense interest and the public spends billions
annually on mostly unproven therapies. A poor diet is considered to be a major cause
of poor-quality skin, cracked or slow growing nails, and hair lacking luster
and dryness. We showed that the inclusion of two
healthy, nutrient-rich functional foods improved how the
participants subjectively viewed their appearance.
Hair, skin, and nail significantly improved. In addition, quality of life attributes not related to
appearance improved for a feeling of well being, stress, energy, and sleep. Inclusion of nutrient-dense
functional foods improves appearance and quality of life. These foods were well received and easy-to-prepare leading to excellent compliance with the dietary protocol of two offerings daily
Trichol Cosmetol Open J. 2020; 4(1): 1-6. doi: 10.17140/TCOJ-4-114
