Why the Way We Eat Can Affect Our Hair

It’s a new year and most people go into a new year with the hope to do things better and often than includes eating better and losing weight and getting more fit. Our diet can affect more than just our waistline. Certain foods can encourage your hair loss.

There is no dietary solution that can treat a hair loss condition that isn’t from a nutritional imbalance. Some vitamins and minerals can help with support a healthy hair growth cycle. This consists of zinc, biotin, and selenium. There has been research done from several Universities into the foods we eat and how it is linked to thinning hair and hair loss for men and women.

Increased sugar consumption linked to thinning hair

In 2015 a dermatological company published research that claimed a link between excess sugar consumption and thinning hair. The sugar leads to a rapid glucose spike which suggests this can cause direct damage to hair follicles.

Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) the testosterone derivative that binds to receptors in the hair follicles located along the top of the scalp, from the front hairline to the crown in those individuals with a predisposition to genetic hair loss, that causes hair to thin gradually and for men it can lead to baldness.

Sugar is believed to also inhibit the body’s ability to deal with stress which is another cause of hair loss. While a sweet tooth alone won’t result in going bald, the negative effects excessive sugar can have can trigger premature male pattern baldness.

Fried Foods and Male and Female Pattern Hair Loss

Various studies link eating fried foods and type 2 diabetes, a condition that is known to have a side effect of hair loss. As the Harvard School of Public Health in America and the National University of Singapore’s joint research, published in 2014, people that eat fried foods at least once a week and a much greater chance of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease. As your chance for diabetes increases so does your chance of developing male and female pattern hair loss because of the disease.

Eating too much meat may increase the risk of hair fall

Another cause of diabetes has been found in those at a higher risk because of the amount of red meat consumed. The more often red meat is consumed in your diet you are more at risk of developing diabetes. The two hair loss conditions that are linked to diabetes is Telogen Effluvium and Diffuse Thinning. Each condition causes hair to fall out from all over the scalp and can come on more suddenly. The hormonal fluctuations that can be associated with diabetes lay arise to an effect of diabetes medications.

Dairy-free milk trend may contribute to hair loss

Most of us have probably heard the saying, milk does a body good. While this is true there is a trend moving toward dairy-free milk like coconut milk, oat milk, soy or rice milk, and others, but none of these ‘mylks’ contain iodine.

Iodine is important for the normal function of your thyroid gland. Thyroid problems like hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism and some of the medications used to treat these conditions can cause thinning hair.

While genetic hair loss is like the name suggests, hereditary, there are a number of factors that can influence its effects. The occasional burger and chips, sugary snack or an almond milkshake isn’t likely to affect your hair’s health, regular consumption may. If you want to help yourself and maintain healthy hair it is beneficial to vary your diet and eat more nutritious foods.