Can you stop hair loss with lifestyle modifications?
Some essential vitamins and minerals play a big role in hair health, such as iron, zinc, vitamin D, biotin, niacin, selenium, fatty acids, and amino acids. Therefore, nutrient deficiencies may cause troubles with hair loss, but this also means that you can easily solve the problem with some lifestyle modifications.
However, don’t try to treat your hair loss with supplements without consulting a medical provider, because over-supplementing can also cause some troubles. For example, too much vitamin E and A can cause toxicity and aggravate your hair problems. That’s why you need expert evaluation to see if you have some nutrient deficiency, and then get appropriate treatment with changes in your diet and supplements.
Iron deficiency
Iron deficiency has been linked to hair loss through some study indications. If you suffer from severe deficiency you’ll need to be evaluated by a doctor for iron replacement. Vegan may also need dietary counseling and guidance for optimizing iron intake and absorption. If you want to try solving the problem with food, include more whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, legumes, animal proteins, seafood, and seeds in your diet.
Zinc deficiency
Zinc deficiency is not very common, but in severe cases it can cause losing hair. It may occur due to reasons such as genetic disorders, certain medications, and malabsorption issues. The good news is that in most cases where hair loss was caused by zinc deficiency, it was able to reverse when treated properly. Zinc can be best absorbed by animal products such as poultry, red meat, shellfish, and dairy products, so if you follow a vegan or vegetarian meal plan you’ll need to have zinc levels assessed. However, do not supplement with zinc without directions from a medical professional, since over-supplementing can cause a copper deficiency.
Selenium deficiency ( Hair Loss )
Selenium deficiency is very rare, since most diets are adequate in this nutrient. On the other hand, selenium toxicity is possible, therefore it is recommended to treat deficiencies with foods rather than supplements.
Generally, eating one Brazil nut a day can provide all your selenium needs. Other selenium-rich food includes meat, poultry, fish, dairy, grains, and legumes.
Amino acids deficiency ( hair loss )
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, which is an essential component that mediates in hair growth and strength. Hair follicles are mostly made of protein, so protein deficiencies are directly linked to hair loss. The average adult needs about 0.8 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight.
One kilogram equals 2.2 pounds, so if you weigh 170 pounds you’ll need about 62 grams of protein a day. Luckily, there are lots of foods that are rich in protein, such as eggs, cheese, yogurt, seeds, legumes, nuts, nut butters, chicken, fish, and turkey.
Fatty acids deficiency ( Hair Loss )
Our bodies can’t produce essential fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), so they must be included in your diet if you want to avoid deficiencies that can cause hair loss on the scalp and eyebrows.
This means eating more pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, flaxseed, walnuts, and fatty fish.
Vitamin D deficiency
Some studies show that people with alopecia areata can have low levels of vitamin D, known as the sunshine vitamin as it’s largely obtained from sunlight.
So, during times when you don’t get enough sun exposure (like in the winter months), make sure to eat vitamin D rich foods such as egg yolks, fortified cereals, fortified milk and milk alternatives, orange juice, salmon, trout, tuna, and fish liver oils. People often use vitamin D supplements, but it’s best to talk to a doctor to determine if you have a deficiency before turning to supplements.
Biotin deficiency ( hair loss )
Lack of biotin causes hair loss, brittle nails, and dry skin, and is associated with enzyme deficiency, alcoholism, consuming too many raw egg whites, and excessive antibiotic use. Foods rich in biotin include spinach, oats, egg yolks, and wheat germ, but in case of deficiency you might want to try some proven hair loss treatments which are based on biotin.
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