What Causes Hair Loss During Dieting?
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Vitamin Deficiencies and Hair Loss
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Following a very regimented diet and losing weight rapidly can create a vitamin deficiency in many cases, which can cause a person's chemical balance to be thrown off, thereby leading to temporary hair loss. Some of these diets also contain too much or too little vitamin A, which also results in temporary hair loss. One problem with diets, even those recommended by a doctor, is that many of them concentrate on lowering caloric intake or carbohydrates but fail to consider the nutrient intake, so the dieter begins to develop deficiencies in his diet resulting in multiple symptoms, hair loss being one that is very noticeable. Zinc, vitamin B12 and biotin are three nutrients that people need in order to have a healthy head of hair. Without them, the hair goes into a resting stage and begins to fall out. Until the deficiencies are dealt with, the hair will not grow back. A zinc deficiency will result in changes in the scalp, dandruff being a good example. This is because zinc is used in cell division and it helps the body to produce proteins and collagen, both of which are needed in the skin and hair follicles to keep them strong and healthy. To add more zinc to your diet you can eat wheat germ, muscle meats, fish and egg yolks. Vitamin B12 helps form healthy red blood cells, which transport oxygen to all parts of the body, including the scalp and the hair follicles. Add it to your diet through eggs, meat and poultry. Biotin makes the hair and skin healthy and supple. Brewer's yeast, brown rice, bulgur, green peas, lentils, oats, soybeans, sunflower seeds and walnuts can all provide biotin in the diet.
Protein, Iron and Iodine
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While on a special diet to lose weight, a person's protein intake is usually too low. The end result is that the body has to conserve its remaining protein and does so by forcing the hair into the resting phase. Two or three months later that resting hair begins to fall out. This is reversible by adding proteins to the diet. Meat proteins are the best but there are vegetarian sources as well, such as, nuts, seeds and beans. Also, having low iron in your blood can cause the hair to fall out, so the dieter needs to supplement with iron-rich foods such as soybeans, pumpkin seeds, white beans, lentils, spinach, clams, oysters and organ meat. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia are eating disorders that can leach necessary nutrients out of the system, causing hair loss to occur. Iodine is another essential nutrient for healthy hair growth. Salt is iodized for this reason, but unfortunately the iodine in salt is difficult to digest, making it hard to assimilate into the system where it can do the most good. Liquid iodine supplements are better.
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Silica and High-Fat Diets
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Silica is an essential nutrient and also very difficult to find in the Western diet. In Asia it is commonly eaten because Asian people incorporate a lot of rice and raw vegetables into their diets. Silica makes hair stronger and more durable, so that it is able to stretch rather than break easily. Silica is found in rice, oats, lettuce, parsnips, asparagus, onion, strawberries, cabbage, cucumber, leek, sunflower seeds, celery, rhubarb, cauliflower and Swiss chard. These sources should only be grown organically because many of these foods do not contain silica thanks to Western farming practices. Silica-rich foods should best be eaten raw, if possible, to get the full benefit to the hair. Also, high-fat diets seem to increase the percentages of hair loss. People from countries where low-fat diets are common have very little pattern baldness. When those countries become Westernized, and eat higher-fat diets, pattern baldness appears.
Alcohol, Caffeine, Sugar and Nicotine
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Alcohol, caffeine, sugar and nicotine are substances that can deplete the nutrients out of the body and cause adrenal levels to rise, which creates more androgens, which cause hair loss. These substances should be used sparingly, if at all, as they have a severe impact on the body. Toxemia sets in quite easily when the body fills up with these substances, which are not easily eliminated from the system, so regular cleansing is essential to good health. Drinking an adequate amount of water, such as six to eight glasses of water per day, can help with toxemia problems, by keeping the system washed out so the toxins do not have a chance to build up. Toxemia can cause eczema, psoriasis and seborrhea. These are all conditions that can affect the scalp and how hair grows. Adding fiber to the diet is a good idea as well as it helps keep the bowels clear of waste materials.
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