Feed Your Mane: The Link Between Diet and Hair Loss

May 26, 2024

by Cathe Friedrich

Your hair used to be thick and healthy, and it felt good to run your fingers through it. But now when you brush it, you notice your lap and brush are full of strands and you’re even finding hair in the sink or bathtub after you wash it. Could it be your diet?

Nutritional deficiencies are a cause of hair loss but it’s not the only reason you lose hair, or your hair thins out. You can have a balanced diet and still lose your hair if you have a health issue, like an autoimmune disease or endocrine condition. For example, an underactive thyroid gland commonly causes hair loss.

What about genetics? 65% of people have gene variations that make them susceptible to hair loss. Being under unusual physical or mental stress can send your hair into a resting cycle and lead to excessive amounts of hair loss too. So, don’t blame it on your diet until you’ve ruled out other causes for thinning hair.

Yet nutritional deficiencies can also trigger hair loss, particularly aggressive calorie, and protein restriction. For example, people with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa are prone to hair loss because they don’t consume enough calories to supply their hair and skin with key nutrients. Going on extreme diets to lose weight is another cause.

Even some medications can cause hair thinning, including chemotherapy drugs. But what about specific vitamins? Let’s look at the role vitamins, and a deficiency of certain vitamins, affects your hair.

Vitamin A

Vitamin A helps maintain healthy skin, hair, and eyesight. So, it’s not surprising that not getting enough vitamin A in your diet can cause hair loss. Vitamin A helps produce sebum, an oily substance that moisturizes the scalp and prevents hair from becoming dry and brittle. A diet low in vitamin A can weaken hair follicles, further increasing the odds of shedding those beautiful strands.

Other symptoms of vitamin A deficiency include dry and scaly skin, night blindness, and increased viral and bacterial infections. So, make sure you’re consuming a well-balanced diet rich in vitamin A to prevent hair loss related to low levels of vitamin A.

Be cautious with vitamin A supplementation. TOO much vitamin A can also trigger hair loss and have other grave consequences, like bone loss and liver damage. Ensure you’re getting enough vitamin A through diet for healthy hair. Most people don’t require a supplement. The recommended daily intake (RDA) is seven hundred micrograms for women and nine hundred micrograms for men.

B-Vitamin Deficiencies

B-vitamins are also important for healthy hair. The most important are biotin (B7), niacin (B3), and cobalamin (B12). Deficiencies in these vitamins can lead to hair loss and other hair-related problems.

Without enough biotin, your hair, nails, and skin may suffer. You need biotin to produce a protein called keratin that helps support skin, nail, and hair health. Science shows that biotin deficiency can cause hair to thin. Plus, if you’re deficient in niacin, you can develop a condition called pellagra. One of the symptoms is hair loss.

Cobalamin, also known as vitamin B12, is essential for red blood cell formation and the proper functioning of the nervous system. A deficiency of this vitamin may cause anemia, which can lead to hair loss and other symptoms, such as fatigue and weakness. Vitamin B12 deficiency is more common in people who eat a vegan diet since it’s only in meat and dairy foods, with lesser amounts in some fortified foods and nutritional yeast.

Vitamin C

What about vitamin C? You need it to produce collagen, a structural protein that helps keep skin healthy and strong. This vitamin, we also associate with immune health, also plays a role in keratin production (another structural protein) and helps counter oxidative damage that can harm cells and tissues, including your skin.

Most people can get enough vitamin C through diet, but you might fall short if you eat mostly ultra-processed foods or smoke cigarettes. Smoking increases oxidative stress, so you need more vitamin C to compensate. The way to get enough vitamin C is to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables daily, including raw fruits or vegetables. Cooking destroys a portion of vitamin C in these foods.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D helps maintain healthy hair follicles. If you’re deficient in this vitamin, you can experience hair thinning and hair loss. A study in the International Journal of Trichology, found that vitamin D deficiency is prevalent in patients with telogen effluvium, a type of hair loss that results in excessive shedding of hair from the scalp.

The study found that supplementing with vitamin D can improve hair growth in patients with telogen effluvium. Another study published in the Journal of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine found that vitamin D can promote hair growth by activating hair follicle stem cells. Therefore, it is essential to maintain adequate levels of vitamin D to prevent hair loss and promote hair growth.

You can get modest quantities of vitamin D from foods like salmon, eggs, or fortified milk products that manufacturers add vitamin D to. But sun exposure is the best source. If you’re not getting enough vitamin D from your diet, supplements are another option. Your doctor can also check for vitamin D deficiency via a blood test.

For adults aged 19-70 years old who don’t get enough sun exposure during the winter months (November through March), the recommended daily intake of vitamin D is 600 IU/day, but if you have low levels of vitamin D, you may need significantly more to boost your level into the normal range. Talk to your doctor about this.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that acts as an antioxidant and helps protect the cells in your body, including the cells that make up your hair follicles.

Without enough vitamin E, your hair follicles can become damaged by free radicals, which can lead to hair loss. Vitamin E also helps improve blood circulation to the scalp, which is essential for healthy hair growth.

Other symptoms of vitamin E deficiency include dry skin, vision problems, muscle weakness, and an increased risk of infections. However, it’s important to note that vitamin E deficiency is rare, as you can get it from a variety of different foods, including nuts, seeds, leafy greens, and vegetable oils.

Iron

Iron deficiency is a well-known cause of hair loss. Iron helps cells produce energy and keep skin healthy; Red meats, poultry, fish, and leafy green vegetables such as spinach or kale. You don’t absorb non-heme iron, the type in leafy greens, as efficiently as the iron in animal-based foods. Your doctor can check your iron level using a blood test and recommend iron supplements should you need them.

Conclusion

If you’re experiencing hair loss, talk to your doctor first and get a clean bill of health. Then, take a closer look at your diet. Your doctor may recommend that you take multivitamins if you’re at risk of being deficient in any of these vitamins. Make sure you’re consuming enough protein and calories to support hair health too.

References:

Shakoori, A., & Saleem, S. (2019). Role of vitamin D in telogen effluvium: A preliminary study. International Journal of Trichology, 11(4), 151-155. doi.org/10.4103/ijt.ijt_70_19.
Gentile, C., & Garcovich, S. (2020). Advances in regenerative stem cell therapy in androgenic alopecia and hair loss: Wnt pathway, growth-factor, and mesenchymal stem cell signaling impact analysis on cell growth and hair follicle development. Journal of Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, 16(1), 9-14. doi.org/10.15430/jscrm.16.1.9.
“How Diet Affects Hair Loss – Healthline.” 03 Aug. 2021, healthline.com/nutrition/how-diet-affects-hair-loss.
Guo EL, Katta R. Diet, and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use. Dermatol Pract Concept. 2017 Jan 31;7(1):1-10. doi: 10.5826/dpc.0701a01. PMID: 28243487; PMCID: PMC5315033.
VanBuren CA, Everts HB. Vitamin A in Skin and Hair: An Update. Nutrients. 2022 Jul 19;14(14):2952. doi: 10.3390/nu14142952. PMID: 35889909; PMCID: PMC9324272.