Have you ever felt you’re lacking or hoarding on some
nutrients in your daily diet? It’s quite impossible to get all the nutrition
you need when you’re living a busy lifestyle, with little to no time for proper
meal planning. And it’s also possible to get much of one nutrient, especially
if you’re fond of eating foods loaded with it.
But your bustling life shouldn’t be an excuse to forget all
about your nutrition needs. Your body needs proper nourishment not just to keep
it generally healthy, but also to keep hair loss at bay.
Indeed, certain nutrient deficiencies and excesses may cause
hair loss problems in both males and females. This may take place regardless of
age or race.
Our post for today will highlight three common nutrient imbalances
that lead to excessive hair shedding and hair loss. We give you some tips on
how to overcome them as well.
Get ready to assess the foods you frequently include in your
daily fare. They just might be lacking or having too much of these nutrients,
and it shows on your hair!
1. Imbalanced Vitamin A Levels
Vitamin A is a nutrient known to aid in proper growth and
development of the body. It also has plenty of other functions, including:
- Maintaining healthy vision
- Improving the immune system
- Keeping the reproductive system healthy
Hair is touted as the fastest-growing tissue in the entire
human body. And as such, vitamin A also plays a role in its growth.
Vitamin A triggers the skin glands to secrete sebum, an oily
substance that lubricates the skin and scalp. This leads to a moisturized scalp
and hair that grows healthier every day.
A deficiency in vitamin A could possibly lead to hair loss.
There was a study conducted on rats that showed evidence of alopecia on those who were fed a
diet deficient in the vitamin.
Likewise, too much vitamin A consumption can be harmful. It
can cause hair fall by hastening the hair growth cycle, reaching the end of the
growth phase too quickly and leading to a massive fall-out of strands. Thinning
hair will result if your body doesn’t keep up producing new hair to replace the
ones who quickly fell out.
Also, an overdose of vitamin A in the body could disrupt the
balance of nutrients in the blood. Vitamin A is stored in the liver, and when
an excess of it occurs, the liver becomes overloaded and the vitamin spills outside into the blood circulation. This renders the excess vitamin
useless as the body cannot metabolize it properly when it spills into the
bloodstream. All of these ultimately end up in unhealthy hair that’s prone to
breakage and shedding.
Given these facts, it is important to regulate the intake of
vitamin A-rich foods such as:
- Carrots
- Pumpkins
- Sweet potatoes
- Kale
- Spinach
Supplementation with vitamin A must always be upon your
doctor’s advice. Never go beyond the prescribed dosage and length of
supplementation.
2. Biotin Deficiency
Biotin belongs to the family of B-complex vitamins. It’s
also known as vitamin B-7 and vitamin H.
This vitamin plays an active role in:
- Converting carbohydrates into glucose to create energy for the body
- Metabolizing proteins and fats
- Aiding in the proper nervous system and liver function
- Keeping the hair, skin, and eyes healthy
Biotin cannot be stored in the body, as it is water-soluble.
The nutrient is naturally present in the intestines, as the
normal bacterial flora residing here create the vitamin. Several foods, mostly
nuts and legumes, contain small amounts of biotin in it.
Rarely do people who eat a balanced diet get biotin
deficiency. This is due to a wide range of foods that contain the vitamin.
Biotinidase deficiency (BTD) is a rare disorder where your body finds it hard to
process biotin. This ultimately leads to a deficiency of the nutrient. BTD is
an inherited disorder that affects one in 60,000 babies and is carried on
through adulthood.
One of the main symptoms of this illness is hair loss or alopecia.
Hair thinning may eventually progress to a generalized loss of hair across all
possible body areas.
See your doctor if you think you have a biotin deficiency.
Apart from hair loss, other symptoms of this illness include:
- Brittle nails
- Infections on the skin
- Lethargy
- Depression
Biotin supplements are often prescribed to treat a
deficiency. You may also increase your intake of the following foods:
- Cooked egg yolks
- Nut butters
- Almonds, walnuts, pecans, and peanuts
- Whole grains
- Legumes
- Sardines
- Mushrooms
- Cauliflower
- Bananas
As your biotin deficiency clears up, your hair should start growing
back in.
3. Iron Deficiency
Iron is an important nutrient needed for healthy hair
growth. It is responsible for transporting oxygen throughout the body. Iron is
found in red blood cells, which then circulate through the body to deliver
oxygen to the cells.
Inadequate iron in the body is a common nutrient deficiency
that causes hair loss. This is because the blood that circulates throughout the
body up to the hair follicles contain less oxygen, and therefore cannot meet
the requirements of your body for healthy hair growth. Hair falls out at a fast
rate as a result of this.
Women are especially at risk for iron deficiency due to the
monthly loss of blood from their periods. It was found out that the levels of ferritin in the blood can influence the rate of hair loss in women. If left untreated, the condition
may even lead to anemia.
Your doctor may prescribe iron supplements to help bring
back your iron levels on track and fight hair loss. It is also recommended to
increase the intake of the following iron-rich foods:
- Red meat
- Eggs
- Spinach
- Oysters
- Clams
- Lentils
Hair loss will slowly improve once good iron levels in the
blood are restored. Adequate hair growth will start again because the scalp
will now receive oxygen-rich blood, thanks to proper iron levels in the red
blood cells.
Wrapping it All Up
Vitamin A, iron, and biotin all play crucial roles in keeping
your hair and scalp healthy. Imbalances in these nutrients may cause hair to fall
due to:
- Abnormal acceleration of the hair cycle, leading to faster hair loss than it is replaced
- Inadequate oxygen reaching the scalp and hair
- Inadequate amount of glucose to fuel hair growth
Adding foods rich in these three nutrients can help counter a
deficiency. Conversely, reducing the intake of vitamin A-rich foods can help slow
the abnormally fast hair cycle that happens with vitamin A overdose, leading to
restored normalcy in hair growth rate.
It is important to see your doctor to confirm a nutritional
imbalance before taking specific supplements for hair growth. Seeking consultation
first ensures that a targeted supplement, dietary change, and lifestyle
modification will be tailored according to your symptoms and hair fall needs.
Always remember that nutrition is important for keeping your
body healthy – including your hair. So, find ways to boost your diet’s
nutrition levels and get ready to see fuller hairs on your head in no time.
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