This
article examines the importance of good nutrition in preventing
premature hair loss and asks whether it has any role to play in
regenerating new hair growth.
Could something as basic as inadequate nutrition really contribute to excessive shedding of hair?
Does sensible nutrition have a role to play in helping hair to regrow?
The answer to both questions is yes! There is no doubt that poor
nutrition and hectic lifestyles can contribute to hair loss. Modern
diets can be associated with a number of nutritional deficiencies that
are thought to contribute to hair loss:
1. The refining of whole grains reduces the B vitamin content.
2. Over cooking of vegetables destroys B vitamins.
3. Raw leafy greens are absent in most diets.
4. The vitamins that have been ingested are often re-directed to
facilitate the digestion of nutritionally sterile carbohydrates like
sugar and white flour.
5. Stimulants like caffeine, nicotene and alcohol rob the body of vital nutrients.
6. Excessive salt intake can encourage hair loss because of its tendency to accumulate in tissue.
7. Low fiber intake inhibits digestion thus reducing the body's ability to deliver nutrients to the blood stream.
Clearly poor nutrition can cause hair loss because the body will ration
nutrients in a hierarchy of vital organs first and hair last. It is
unlikely that improved nutrition alone will result in new hair growth
but it will minimize shedding and support other treatments that
encourage regrowth.
