How much does food play a role in hair loss ?

[PD]

I am sure we agree that the major contributor is the genes, but i believe when you already have thinning hair or potentially more loss in future, this might matter.. check out this article..

 

 

http://www.webmd.com/skin-prob...-hair-loss-naturally

 

looks like it is for women, but i take it that some of that should be applicable for men ?

 

here are excerpts that raised my eyebrows :

 

'"Biotin is a major component in the natural hair manufacturing process -- it is essential to not only grow new hair, but it also plays a major role in the overall health of skin and nails," says Andrew Lessman, clinical researcher and creator of Your Vitamins, an all-natural supplement line manufactured in Henderson, Nevada.'

 

'..taking too much zinc can also cause a copper deficiency, which in turn can actually cause hair loss -- another reason she believes supplementation of these minerals is unnecessary....'

 

should we be taking vitamins .. targeting to slow down hair loss, maybe.. instead of any OTC vitamin.. what do you guys think ?

[KeepingWhatIHave]

This is the weird thing... I know some healthy people who eat well and exercise daily, and they've pretty much gone bald... then I know people who don't take vitamins, drink a lot of alcohol and do the occasional drugs, and have a full thick head of hair with a ridiculously low hairline, women included. I really think genetics play 95% of the role. Most other things you hear may be fluff.

 

Though it's always good to eat right and take care of your body. Hair or not, you'll feel healthier and a lot more energized

[baqu]

By all means eat well and have a balanced diet. But if dieting was such a big factor, then surely third world countries with malnutrition issues will have only bald men walking around.

 

I've been to places like Inner Mongolia and India where their daily staple diets are not exactly full of "veg and fruits" and the men's hairloss are no worse then western ones.

[splitting hairs]

Originally posted by baqu:

By all means eat well and have a balanced diet. But if dieting was such a big factor, then surely third world countries with malnutrition issues will have only bald men walking around.

 

I've been to places like Inner Mongolia and India where their daily staple diets are not exactly full of "veg and fruits" and the men's hairloss are no worse then western ones.

 

I agree. It's amazing how many products there are to treat hairloss that are really just vitamin/mineral supplements. Whilst some forms of hairloss are caused by dietary deficiencies,this is very rare, and the overwhelming majority of us are suffering from male pattern baldness determined by our genes, that vitamin/mineral supplements can do little for.

[Marvin]

My roommate is a huge health nut. He goes jogging every day, he crams his refrigerator with fresh fruits and veggies, and his shelf is lined with supplements.

 

He's also the baldest guy in his mid 20's that I personally know. I'm pretty sure that he will be a NW6 by the time he hits 28.

[HairHope]

Will it get rid of the hair in my outer ear also, you should call it the "Miracle Diet"!

 

Originally posted by Khanum Khatun:

By following healthy diet, you can reverse all lost hair, even if all your family has hair shedding problems due to hereditary factor.

 

Here are top foods and vitamins to reverse hair thinning and promote healthy hair growth:

 

??? Vitamin A: (found in fish liver oil, spinach, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, apricots and peaches). This vitamin provides healthy scalp sebum.

Daily dose: 5,000 IU.

 

Attention: Consuming more than 25,000 IU of vitamin A daily is toxic and can cause hair loss and other serious health problems.

 

??? Vitamin B 3, or Niacin (found in brewer's yeast, wheat germ and fish):

It boosts scalp circulation.

Daily dose: 15 mg.

 

??? Vitamin B 5, or Pantothenic acid (whole grain cereals, brewer's yeast and egg yolks) prevents graying and hair fall.

Daily dose: 4 - 7 mg.

.

??? Vitamin B 6 (brewer's yeast, whole grain cereals, vegetables and egg yolks) is helpful in prevention of hair thinning and in the production of melanin that gives hair its color.

Daily dose: 1.6 mg.

 

??? Vitamin B 12 (fish and eggs) assists to stop hair loss.

Daily dose: 2 mg.

 

??? Vitamin C (citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, pineapple, tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and dark green veggies). This amazing antioxidant promotes healthy skin and hair.

Daily dose: 60 mg.

 

??? Vitamin E (cold-pressed vegetable oils, wheat germ oil, soybeans, raw seeds and nuts, dried beans, and leafy green veggies). This antioxidant does increase scalp circulation.

Daily dose: about 400 IU.

[Blake Bloxham]

PD, you make logical points with some of the dietary elements in your post. However, I think your first comment regarding genetics was dead on. If I may throw out an observation ... I've seen overweight, unhealthy people with full heads of hair, and I've seen bald 'health nuts.' I'm sure there is some small factor with diet, but compared to the genetic component, it is probably not overtly significant.

[Dr. William Lindsey]

Bagu is right. For the average guy, eating an average diet; hairloss and probably success with a transplant, has nothing to do with your diet. All that extra money spent on fancy supplements is not worth it in my opinion.

 

That being said, when I was in high school I was the first guy to run out and buy liver extract to try to bulk up. I just got fat and it took until I finished going through puberty to get any significant bench press strength. But I felt like I was doing something at the time.

 

So I don't tell people to stop their supplements (except around surgery) but I do say that I am not sure they are doing much help and in an era of budgets, I'd cut the supplements before cutting out alot of other disposable income expendatures.

 

Dr. Lindsey McLean VA

[floryinson]

Do not leave hair loss threaten your hair beauty. Surely hair beauty is so important for us women. And hair loss or baldness in the extreme case is a nightmare. Prevent hair loss and baldness with nutritious food to restore the strength of the root of the hair. Hei, it's not difficult at all, a lot of nutritious food around of us. You can easily find these foods and you are probably frequently consuming these foods.

Fish, eggs and nuts

Our hair is basically consists of protein, because of this, high-protein foods are highly recommended for maintaining the health of hair. Select the protein without the fat, such as fish, chicken, eggs, almond nuts, yogurt, or else. High-fat foods will make us have fat problem and for men, the high-fat foods can decrease hormone testosterone.

 

Iron

Iron holds an important role in making hemoglobin, the blood which carries oxygen to organs and tissue throughout the body. When our hemoglobin is in good level, oxygen can be distributed perfectly. This means that the circulation of blood can get to the root of the hair, which will stimulate hair growth.

 

Add foods contain iron in your diet the day-to-day. Food such as eggs, green vegetables, raisins, and whole grain cereals, is a good source of iron. In addition, you can consume vitamin C because vitamin increases the ability of this body in absorbing iron.

 

Seafood

Women who experience baldness was know problem of zinc deficiency in the body. Zinc play a role in many body functions, ranging from cell production to balance hormones, and these functions affect the growth of hair. In addition, zinc plays a role in the gland hairs of 'binding' the root of the hair.

 

If we lack of zinc, hair follicle is so weak, and so easily detached from the hair root. To overcome this, the consumption of food containing high zinc, such as red meat, poultry, nuts, shellfish, or shrimp are highly recommended.