Hair loss/ quality and nutrition

[Crk]

What role does nutrition play in hair growth/ hair loss? If a person doesn’t eat enough daily over a long period of time, could this cause their hair to thin or cause the diameter of their hairs to shrink? I’ve spent the last year more or less eating one meal a day, and probably not eating enough. Could this cause thinner hairs to grow, or does only miniaturization caused by genetics do this?

 

thanks for the input!

[Al - Moderator]

If you are anorexic and basically just skin and bones and not eating enough then YES that can and will have an effect on your hair. If you are at a healthy weight then what you eat will still matter, but much less so as you will probably be getting most of the nutrients you need simply because you are eating enough food (assuming you are eating a variety of foods). I would definitely eat at least twice per day. Once isn't enough as that means you are going more than 23 hours between each meal all the time.

If you really want to help your hair with just food then don't eat much sugar or salt.

 

Edited November 7, 2021 by BeHappy

[Dr. Rahal]

Only cases of extreme malnutrition me a fact hair growth and hair loss.  A large percentage of the population simply don’t get enough vitamins and eat poorly. TV dinners, tasty cakes, ice cream, hotdogs, too many carbohydrates, etc. won’t cause an individual to lose their hair.   However, food related diseases such as bulimia and anorexia can cause telogen effluvium which can be reversed want to conditions themselves have been reversed.  

That said, eating a balanced, healthy diet is an important part of an individual‘s overall health.  Thus, If two identical twins were to have two very different lifestyles and eating habits…the one who gets the necessary vitamins and nutrition will likely have fuller and healthier looking hair even if the number of hairs and follicles are the same in each twin.  
 

As general rule, if you take care of the inside of your body, the outside will take care of itself.   
 

Rahal Hair Transplant.  

[Crk]

1 hour ago, Dr. Rahal said:

Only cases of extreme malnutrition me a fact hair growth and hair loss.  A large percentage of the population simply don’t get enough vitamins and eat poorly. TV dinners, tasty cakes, ice cream, hotdogs, too many carbohydrates, etc. won’t cause an individual to lose their hair.   However, food related diseases such as bulimia and anorexia can cause telogen effluvium which can be reversed want to conditions themselves have been reversed.  

That said, eating a balanced, healthy diet is an important part of an individual‘s overall health.  Thus, If two identical twins were to have two very different lifestyles and eating habits…the one who gets the necessary vitamins and nutrition will likely have fuller and healthier looking hair even if the number of hairs and follicles are the same in each twin.  
 

As general rule, if you take care of the inside of your body, the outside will take care of itself.   
 

Rahal Hair Transplant.  

Thanks for the reply! I only ask because in the last year my hair has thinned. It’s not bad (yet) and my hairline hasn’t receded or followed a typical pattern (I’m a 30 year old man). I had bad eating habits, more or less eating a meal a day for a year. Anyways, I’m just worried I have DUPA, since my entire scalp just seems less thick than it used to. My dermatologist didn’t tell me much, and I had a consultation at a hair clinic where they used a magnified camera to look at various parts of my head. They said they didn’t see signs of miniaturization in the back of my head, but I find that 15% of my hair strands are much thinner. Not shorter, still several inches long just very, very thin. It stresses me out. Should I be concerned about this? I’ve heard dupa is extremely rare, and in men, typically starts in the teen years or early twenties. My hair loss seems very recent but without large amounts or shedding. 100-150ish hairs a day.