Are there reasons other than the desire to have beautiful hair, to pay attention to how our hair looks?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nAbsolutely. Even seemingly unimportant things like a change in hair texture and shine; dry, cracked elbows or small raised spots on the back of your arms can indicate an underlying issue or deficiency. It might just be linked to one small issue, or there could be a combination of factors involved, but either way, looking after and checking up on our skin and hair can ultimately warn us about something potentially serious and\u00a0give us a general idea on how healthy we are.<\/p>\n
Most people\u2019s hair grows at a rate\u00a0of just over 1cm per month, or 15cm a year\u00a0and\u00a0we have\u00a0over 100,000 hairs on our head and up to\u00a05 million\u00a0covering\u00a0our whole bodies! By the age of 40,\u00a0the rate of hair growth and replacement starts to slow\u00a0down,\u00a0and you can lose more than you produce.\u00a0Excessive\u00a0or sudden hair loss is\u00a0a very common problem. Female pattern baldness affects\u00a0over 40%\u00a0of all women before the age of 50;\u00a0post-menopause\u00a0that will rise to two-thirds of women.\u00a0These figures are\u00a0even\u00a0higher in men:\u00a02\/3 of men will experience thinning hair by the age of 35, and 85% will have significantly thinner hair by the age of 50.<\/p>\n
What are the main causes of hair loss ? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nIn order to understand the main causes of hair loss we need to understand how testosterone impacts it.<\/p>\n
It is not excess testosterone that causes\u00a0hair loss.\u00a0It\u2019s a\u00a0by-product\u00a0of testosterone, something called DHT (dihydrotestosterone) which\u00a0can effectively stop hair follicles from growing.\u00a0However, testosterone doesn\u2019t have to be converted into DHT. It\u2019s all to do with how much of a particular enzyme called 5\u00a0alpha reductase you produce. In other words, you could have fairly low levels of testosterone, but if you have high levels of the enzyme, you\u2019re going to convert a lot of that into DHT and potentially suffer\u00a0hair loss. Conversely, you could have a lot of testosterone, low levels of 5-AR, and retain a good head of hair.\u00a0You can test levels of both testosterone (you need to know free testosterone, not just total levels) and also DHT (a blood test is more common, but a saliva test may be more accurate).<\/p>\n
So, what you need to do is try and interrupt the body\u2019s conversion of testosterone into DHT. This is what the medications Finasteride\u00a0does. Minoxidil is another drug commonly used although it has serious side effects and should not be considered lightly. The good news is that\u00a0there are alternatives. Saw\u00a0palmetto, which is a fruit tree, acts in exactly the same way as finasteride to stop the conversion of testosterone to DHT.<\/p>\n
Another hormone\u00a0gland\u00a0that\u00a0can be crucial\u00a0for hair health is the Thyroid.<\/strong><\/p>\nIf your thyroid is sluggish and not pumping out enough hormones, or if the hormones are not being converted into active forms properly,\u00a0hair loss will often follow. The thyroid hormones that are there\u00a0will be used up for other functions and hair growth gets left behind. It is estimated that 20% of women suffer from underactive thyroids and this increases with age, so having a thorough thyroid hormone check could be useful.<\/p>\n
Is there any compound in the food we eat that might cause hair loss? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nSomething fairly new in the world of hair loss is the\u00a0recorded\u00a0action of anti-gliadin\u00a0antibodies.<\/p>\n
Gliadin is a peptide derivative of gluten, mostly found in wheat,\u00a0barley and rye. As a rule, we don\u2019t digest gliadin well. Many people can tolerate it, but a lot of people will have either an allergy, intolerance or sensitivity to it.\u00a0More importantly, if your body produces antibodies to\u00a0gliadin\u00a0when it gets into the blood stream, those antibodies\u00a0can sometimes start attacking hair follicles as well, because a couple of molecules on the surface of the hair follicles resemble some of the molecules in gliadin (still with me?).\u00a0You can test for the antibodies, but I usually find that trying an exclusion diet, where you cut out all gluten for a period of time is better.<\/p>\n
What food should people suffering from hair loss eat ?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nHere is the list of macro and micronutrient that should always be on our plate in order to promote hair growth and health.<\/p>\n
\n- Protein<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Hair\u00a0is made from hardened proteins called keratin.\u00a0\u00a0If you are deficient in protein, hair growth will decrease and you\u2019ll possibly start losing\u00a0hair as well. This can be an issue when people turn vegetarian or vegan and haven\u2019t monitored their protein levels closely enough. Another issue to consider is whether you are actually absorbing the protein you eat.\u00a0<\/em>After the age of 40, we start producing less of the hydrochloric acid and enzymes in the stomach and intestines that help us break down and absorb proteins and amino acids.<\/p>\nYou could be eating the best diet in the world. But<\/strong>\u00a0if you can\u2019t absorb the nutrients\u00a0in the beginning, you\u2019re\u00a0not going to get the benefits, and could end up being deficient in several different\u00a0vitamins and minerals.<\/p>\nI recommend everyone past 40 to experiment with taking digestive enzymes with every meal containing protein, just to make sure you\u00a0get the maximum from your meal.<\/p>\n
\n- Iron<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Iron carries oxygen around\u00a0the body and is particularly important for hair follicles.\u00a0\u00a0If you are low in it, your body will prioritise the more important organs\u00a0and stop using it for hair growth.\u00a0Iron is stored in the body as ferritin and we know that if your\u00a0blood ferritin level is below a certain level (30mg\/l\u00a0to be precise)\u00a0both hair growth and regeneration suffer as the body seeks to conserve iron.<\/p>\n
\n- Biotin<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
One of the B vitamins. It interacts with certain enzymes to help produce amino acids that\u00a0form the proteins in hair.\u00a0Several studies\u00a0have linked a deficiency in biotin with hair loss, and people who are deficient can get great results\u00a0when they start supplementing or increase their food intake.<\/p>\n
\n- Zinc<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Zinc helps bind the proteins together, strengthening hair and making it harder to fall out. However, you need to be careful in supplementing this one as there are some studies that indicate\u00a0supplementing with too high a dose can also contribute to hair loss. So maybe increase your zinc rich\u00a0foods before you consider a supplement here.<\/p>\n
\n- B Vitamins<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As well as the important biotin, vitamins B6, B12 and folate help create red blood cells\u00a0which carry the oxygen and nutrients to the hair follicles. If you\u2019re not getting enough B vitamins, your hair may be more prone to shedding, slower growth and breakage.<\/p>\n
\n- Vitamins\u00a0C\u00a0and E<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Always important, vitamin C helps absorb iron into the body and is also used to form collagen, which hair follicles\u00a0need to grow well.\u00a0Both vitamins C and E work together as antioxidants to help ward off and repair damage from free radicals.<\/p>\n
\n- Vitamin A<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Vitamin A is needed by all cells to grow well, including hair. But again, like zinc, having too much vitamin A can also contribute to hair loss, so\u00a0searching out the best foods may be better than supplementing this one.<\/p>\n
\n- Vitamin D<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Another all-time essential, low\u00a0levels of vitamin D have been linked to hair loss, although the actual mechanism here is unknown. But as it\u2019s such an important vitamin for so many functions, regularly checking your levels and getting the right supplementation is always a good idea.<\/p>\n
\n- Glutathione<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Men who suffer from male pattern hair loss\u00a0often\u00a0test with\u00a0low levels of glutathione\u00a0and high levels of damage-causing free radicals.\u00a0Glutathione is a master antioxidant that can work alongside Vitamins A, C and E to slow down hair loss.<\/p>\n
\n- Silicon<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Silicon is a trace element\u00a0that is required for hair growth and development.\u00a0Like biotin, it works by increasing the levels\u00a0of amino acids required for the production of collagen and elastin, two compounds that change the thickness and strength of your hair.<\/p>\n
As well as all of the above,\u00a0Omega 3 fatty acids<\/strong>\u00a0help produce the oils\u00a0your scalp needs to keep your hair hydrated and shiny.\u00a0Always worth supplementing these as it\u2019s hard to get enough unless your oily fish, nut and seed consumption is really strong.<\/p>\nSarah Carolides
\n<\/em><\/p>\nSarah has both undergraduate and postgraduate science degrees from the University of Cambridge and has been awarded Diplomas with distinction from both the Institute of Optimum Nutrition and the Centre for Integrative Sports Nutrition. Her achievements include research papers published in the Journal of Clinical & Aesthetic Dermatology and the Australasian Journal of Dermatology on the links between rosacea and gut health and being a contributor to Patrick Holford’s book: Optimum Nutrition for the Mind.<\/em><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Worrying about the state of your hair and skin is not just vanity. Both skin and hair provide unique, visible windows to the state of your underlying health and energy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13756,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[49,775,24],"tags":[2481,2484,1325,2483,2490,2480,1056,2479,2485,2482],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13755"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13755"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13813,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13755\/revisions\/13813"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.medwellness.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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