Hair Loss Article

Hair Loss and Poor Nutritional Habits - Is There A Link?

When it comes to health and remedies for cosmetic-affecting diseases such as those that cause hair loss, many supplement companies take advantage of people's ignorance. They accomplish this by selling them pills and powders that supposedly can fix a hair loss problem by claiming their solution will adjust a nutritional deficiency when taken.

Unfortunately, hair loss due to nutritional deficiencies is extremely rare. In fact, there is really only one possible cause of hair loss that may result from nutrition and it is anemia. When a person is anemic, they experience a reduction in red blood cells and become very low in iron.

Anemia is also more prevalent in women as opposed to men. Researchers are not sure why, but they believe there is a link to a woman's diet which typically contains less red meat than men, and also they need more iron due to blood loss experienced during the monthly menstrual cycle.

What Is The Connection Between Being Anemic & Hair Loss?

If you believe that your hair is falling out due to being anemic, the first step you must take is to have a blood test done which will test your “ferritin levels”. Ferritin is a protein that circulates in your bloodstream and stores iron. By reading your ferritin levels, the doctor can measure your body's iron level.

If the blood tests come back positive and show that there is indeed a deficiency then the doctor must find out what exactly is causing this deficiency. You might think that supplementing with extra iron would help, but it is not likely to facilitate the prevention of hair loss. Your doctor will have to administer the right type of medications so that the iron you are taking will absorb correctly.

Other Ways You Can Lose Your Hair Due To Poor Nutritional Habits

As we stated earlier, it is very rare for a nutrition deficiency to directly cause the thinning or loss of your hair. However, with harmful diet practices you will also experience side effects that can indirectly cause hair loss. One such side effect is the experience of extreme nutritional disorders such as being anorexic or bulimic.

When a person experiences such harsh nutritional practices, such as going without eating for days or even weeks, or throwing up every meal ingested, the body reacts quickly to protect itself. By shooting out of hormones and other chemicals such as cortisol to guard itself as best it can against these bad habits, the body may also produce hair thinning and bald spots.