Silicon supplement by Ray Sahelian, M.D. health benefit of silicon supplement

On planet Earth, silicon is the second most abundant element (after oxygen) in the crust. In the form of silica and silicates, silicon forms useful glasses and ceramics. At this time it is not clear which medical conditions would be helped by adding a silicon supplement. For more research in this area, consider signing up to a free email Newsletter.

Silicon and hair thickness
Effect of oral intake of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid on hair tensile strength and morphology in women with fine hair.
Arch Dermatol Res. 2007 December. Wickett RR, Kossmann E, Barel A, Demeester N, Clarys P, Vanden Berghe D, Calomme M.
College of Pharmacy, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Silicon has been suggested to have a role in the formation of connective tissue and is present at 1-10 ppm in hair. Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid is a bioavailable form of silicon which was found to improve skin microrelief and skin mechanical properties in women with photoaged skin. The effect of Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid on hair was investigated in a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled study. Forty-eight women with fine hair were given 10 mg silicon a day in the form of Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid beadlets or a placebo, orally for 9 months. Hair morphology and tensile properties were evaluated before and after treatment. Urinary silicon concentration increased significantly in the Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid supplemented group but not in the placebo group. The cross sectional area increased significantly after 9 months compared to baseline in Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid supplemented subjects but not in the placebo group. The change in urinary silicon excretion was significantly correlated with the change in cross sectional area. Oral intake of Choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid had a positive effect on tensile strength including elasticity and break load and resulted in thicker hair.

Jarrow silicon
Los Angeles-based Jarrow Formulas is adding BioSil, a form of silicon to its product line. In addition to its 30 ml liquid and 30-capsule size, Jarrow introduced BioSil in a 60-capsule size. Each BioSil capsule in both the 30- and 60-capsule sizes has 5 mg of silicon as a stabilized, concentrated orthosilicic acid per Vegi-cap. BioSil Caps is the encapsulated version of the patented liquid concentrate of stabilized orthosilicic acid. The company claims Stabilized orthosilicic acid is Biologically Active Silicon because it is the only form of silicon absorbed directly through the stomach wall and the gastrointestinal tract into the bloodstream. More research is needed with silicon to determine if the claims by Jarrow Formulas is correct regarding BioSil to be the only form of silicon absorbed directly through the stomach wall and gastrointestinal tract.

Jarrow Formulas silicon supplement BioSil contains a choline-stabilized and concentrated form of orthosilicic acid, ch-OSA. This product was tested on hair thickness, strength and elasticity and the results were presented by University of Cincinnati College of Pharmacy Professor R. Randall Wickett at the Fifth International Congress of Hair Research held in Vancouver Canada on June 13-16, 2007. An international research team conducted a 9-month, randomized, double-blind placebo controlled study using 48 healthy Caucasian women with fine hair and an average age of 43 years. Half the women supplemented their regular diet with 10 mg of silicon in the form of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid, while the other half received a placebo. The BioSil group experienced an improvement over the placebo group including:

- Increased cross sectional area of hair fibers: 7.8 percent increase average (twice the placebo group)
- Increased diameter of hair fibers: 3.8 percent increase average (1.7 percent for the placebo group).
- Hair tensile strength and elasticity decreased significantly in the placebo group (- 10.8 %) whereas in the BioSil group no significant change was observed.

“This is a rigorously controlled study demonstrating that the oral intake of a dietary supplement may improve hair quality,” says Randy Wickett, Ph.D, Professor and Director of the Cosmetic Science Program at the University of Cincinnati. “Hair tensile properties such as strength and elasticity may degrade over time because of exposure to sunlight or other factors. In this study the intake of choline-stabilized orthosilicic acid increased the diameter of the hair and reduced the loss of elasticity and tensile strength compared to placebo.”

BioSil contains a choline-stabilized and concentrated form of orthosilicic acid, ch-OSA and is manufactured by Bio Minerals n.v. in Destelbergen, Belgium.
Jarrow Formulas, Inc. is a nutritional supplement formulator and marketer founded in 1977 and incorporated in 1988. The company markets its products throughout the United States and internationally in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Israel and Latin America. The company offers a complete line of nutritional products that includes vitamins, minerals, probiotics, standardized herbal concentrates, amino acids, enzymes and enteral nutrition formulations.

Silicon questions
Q. Any thoughts on the safety and/or effectiveness of orthosilicic acid supplements such as Jarrow Biosil? I ask because I've read organic silicon can help improve skin texture and hair quality but I am concerned about toxicity. Any thoughts would be most helpful.
   A. We have not seen any significant human research with orthosilicic acid, silicon supplements or Jarrow Biosil, hence we don't have a strong opinion on this supplement at this time.