What we eat really matters, not only for our hair but for our general health. The health of your body and the health of your locks cannot be separated. A lot of information has been circulated about vitamins, all with good intentions I’m sure, but some perhaps misleading. Let's explore the facts.
Let’s start from the beginning: What does a healthy diet looks like?
The Mediterranean diet has been hailed as the healthiest diet. This doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go to the Mediterranean or search “Easy Mediterranean dishes” tirelessly on Google, it just means you should try to incorporate the following into your daily diet and recipes:
· Fruits
· Vegetables
· Whole grains
· Legumes
· Olive oil
· Seafood
· Moderate helpings of dairy, poultry and eggs
The World Health Organization recommends:
· Cereals like wheat, barley, rye and maize
· Legumes (lentils and beans)
· Fruits and vegetables
· Protein from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs and milk)
If you noticed, the two have a lot in common: fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and seafood.
There is no doubt that many of these recommended foods can be expensive, which is why you should investigate what you can use to supplement the more expensive items, without missing the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.
With social pressures to look a certain way, we often miss the real importance of a good diet and exercise: to maintain a healthy functioning body, reduce the risk of disease and promote general well-being.
Along your journey to becoming a health and nutrition connoisseur, you might come across the term micronutrient. Micronutrients are dietary nutrients needed in very small amounts which are usually adequately available and sourced in a balanced diet. Micronutrients are sourced from the food we consume in a healthy diet are important for the body to function properly. Vitamins and minerals are micronutrients.
Here is a summary for those who just want the facts. For the deep divers, look out for FroSense Blogpost: EXPLORING THE FACTS
In summary:
1. A healthy individual consuming a balanced diet, will likely consume enough micronutrients for their dietary needs. This includes vitamins and minerals to support normal functions of the body and cells.
2. There is no definitive proof that excess consumption of certain minerals and vitamins by a healthy individual will boost hair growth
3. Severe deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals can lead to symptoms that can include hair loss
4. To avoid any adverse effects that may arise from taking higher than needed doses of mineral or vitamin supplements, they should be under the supervision of your healthcare professional who will do the relevant testing to determine what your body needs.
Too much of a good thing is bad for you
Many of the micronutrients will be safely eliminated from the body but others may cause harm.
The key take home is that micronutrient supplements, including the ones we will examine in more detail (those tasty vitamin gummies and other supplements readily available over the counter), should not be necessary if you eat a regular and balanced diet or have not been diagnosed as deficient by your doctor. Disturbance of the hair growth cycle may be only one of many symptoms you may or may not experience if you have a deficiency.
Too little of a good thing is also bad for you
Hair can act as a mirror of what is happening inside the body. For example, malnutrition is associated with typical skin and hair changes including hair loss. This is true for a number of illnesses.
Micronutrients are major factors in the normal hair follicle growth cycle. Lack of or too much of certain minerals and vitamins can impact hair growth and can result in hair loss, aka alopecia. In many cases, where there is no evidence of micronutrient deficiency, there is inadequate research to hair improvement claims. Claims of thicker hair, longer hair, regrowth etc. from the use of vitamins should be put in proper context. Deficiency of certain micronutrients can result in a disruption of the hair growth cycle and in the worst case, hair loss. Normalization of a disrupted hair growth cycle- resulting in hair growth and healthier hair- could also be a result of treatment of an existing condition associated with hair loss. We will go into common causes of hair loss another time.
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