Can Dieting Cause Hair Loss?

The objective of most dieting is to lose something—belly fat, love handles, or just a few extra pounds—but in some cases, a bad diet can cause a loss you do not want… hair loss. It can be super frustrating to find that your new eating style has an unwanted side effect, but it does not have to happen. You can diet without losing your hair, you just have to be careful about it.

Can Diet Cause Hair Thinning?

Harvard Medical School says yes, a bad diet can definitely cause hair loss. “Your dietary habits can significantly impact your hair health, and addressing nutrient deficiencies may help you treat and prevent hair loss. However, not all vitamin and mineral supplements may be helpful for hair loss, and when taken in excess, some can be harmful.”

The issue for most diets is understanding what they are cutting out and why. In some cases, the food restrictions are the problem – but that is not always the case. Generally speaking, diets of less than 1,000 calories a day can be very problematic. These extreme restrictive diets often cut back on vital nutrients that your body needs to survive and grow.

According to this study, some diets result in nutritional deficiencies which cause hair loss and structural changes to hair. “Nutritional deficiency may impact both hair structure and hair growth. Effects on hair growth include acute telogen effluvium (TE), a well-known effect of sudden weight loss or decreased protein intake, as well as the diffuse alopecia seen in niacin deficiency.”

The key to maintaining healthy hair while dieting is to make certain that your body is still getting an adequate supply of various nutrients necessary for hair health and growth. Key nutrients to consider include:

• Iron
• Protein
• Zinc
• Biotin
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin E
• Essential fatty acids

But the source of those nutrients also matters. In this case women were consuming more fish, presumably a good source for protein, Vitamin D, and essential fatty acids. Unfortunately, the fish they were consuming was high in mercury and the increased mercury led to extreme hair loss.

What Foods Cause Your Hair to Fall Out?

On its surface, this seems like an easy question: simple carbohydrates and greasy fried foods can be very damaging to your hair health. But then it gets a lot more complicated.

A review of studies in 2020 suggested that “Severe protein, fatty acid and zinc deficiency, chronic starvation, and caloric restriction can lead to telogen effluvium.” However, studies also caution against over consumption or supplements that contain some vital nutrients because they can cause hair loss if you have too much of them as well. Take zinc, for instance… it is a vital building block of hair but in excess it can cause the production of DHT and trigger hair loss.

Medical News Today points out that while some studies suggest that diets featuring whole grains and lots of fruits and vegetables are good for hair growth, other studies have found that simple carbohydrates (like those found in sugars and processed grains) can lead to inflammation which leads to hair loss.

Hair Restoration of Lehigh Valley Helps Restore Hair Loss

The expert staff at Hair Restoration of Lehigh Valley can help evaluate your diet and determine if lack of nutrients is contributing to your hair loss. Your evaluation will help identify the causes of your hair loss and the next steps toward having the hair you want.

Nutrition is important in every step of the process, whether its supplements and topical treatments or follicular unit extraction transplant. Our Lehigh Valley team will help you figure out how your diet is impacting your hair. Contact us today to start figuring out what your hair is missing.