Does Zinc Help with Hirsutism Symptoms?
Hirsutism is the medical term given to excessive hair growth in areas of the body where it is usually sparse. It is a problem that people of all ages, skin tones and types may have to deal with during their lifetime, and as anyone who has experienced the problem will confirm; it can be incredibly difficult to deal with, emotionally and physically.
If you have hirsutism and want to know some of the natural ways you can try to control the issue for yourself, you may have heard people talking about the benefits of Zinc for Hirsutism. But is it really effective?
What is Zinc?
Zinc is an essential mineral, meaning that it is a building block that the body needs to function. It occurs naturally in many foods such as oysters, beef, crab, lobster, pork, chicken and beans. The adequate intake for a man above 19 years is 11mg and for a woman, it is 9mg. Most adults consume the recommended amount of zinc through their diet.
Zinc is also often mentioned as a supplement for hirsutism.
Is Zinc Useful for Hirsutism?
There are lots of sources of information online who talk about taking zinc for Hirsutism. Zinc is believed to have anti-androgenic effects through the inhibition of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme. This enzyme converts testosterone to the more active DHT.
Even though there have been studies to explore the efficiency of zinc in hirsutism, the findings so far have been contradictory. This means that there is no clear answer yet if zinc is effective in hirsutism or not. For this reason, we need more studies and scientific evidence before having a definitive answer if Zinc is useful for Hirsutism or not.
What Causes Hirsutism?
There is no single cause of Hirsutism, and while there is a range of things that can lead to the development of Hirsutism in both women and men, hormones are usually the deciding factors when it comes to finding the root cause of the problem.
While people from within the same family may have Hirsutism, it is not necessarily only regarded as a hereditary condition. People from specific ethnic origins are also more likely to develop Hirsutism than others; regions of particular significance are South Asia, The Middle East, and the Mediterranean.
In the majority of cases, Hirsutism is caused by an imbalance of hormones, commonly known as androgens. There are a few other things which can lead to the development of this condition, these include medical conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Cushing’s Syndrome, some types of tumors, some types of medications, and the genomic (familial) influence as mentioned above. In some cases, no clear cause can be identified, which is then called “idiopathic hirsutism”.
Conclusion
Before looking for supplements and deciding what to get, it is crucial to go in for a doctor’s appointment to identify the underlying cause of the problem. Hirsutism can sometimes be caused by other, more serious conditions, and it is these conditions that may need to be treated first, in order for the root cause of the problem to be addressed.
