A Closer Look At The Best Vitamins To Prevent Hair Loss

It almost sounds unbelievable that vitamins and supplements promise hair health. Is it possible to take medication once or twice daily to improve your hair's length, strength, and health? Various health conditions, including inadequate nutrition, may result in hair loss or thinning. In other words, while vitamins and supplements are by no means magic remedies, taking them on a regular basis could really help improve the condition and appearance of your hair.

It's important to note that hair loss can occur for various reasons, including scalp issues, excessive sweating, humidity, and many more. However, the only way to curtail it is to give your body the nutrients it lacks. Vitamins rank at the top among the most effective ways of growing and maintaining a long and strong mane. You may experience temporary hair loss if your diet isn't right. Hair loss is a symptom of this problem that occurs very frequently. In fact, it can be resolved by supplementing your diet with a few vitamins. How do you know which vitamins are the most important for you?

Iron

In addition to playing a vital role in hair growth, iron also contributes to hair loss in women, according to research in the Journal of Japanese Medical Science. It may help you grow hair more efficiently by boosting circulation and moving oxygen to your cells more effectively. When you do not ingest adequate iron, the body will not make sufficient hemoglobin, which will result in a loss of oxygen delivered to your scalp. A diet rich in iron-rich foods, such as red meat, greens, and lentils, is recommended by nutrition experts. If you are at risk of iron deficiency, you may want to consider adding an iron supplement to your routine as well but consult your doctor first.

Vitamin A

Take too much vitamin A, and you could lose hair. Vitamin A may be helpful for hair growth, but it can also be harmful. Among the constituents of vitamin A are retinal group acids and provitamin A carotenoids. A study involving rats showed the activation of hair follicle stem cells by dietary vitamin A. Nonetheless, this is a complex issue as, contrary to popular belief, an excessive intake of vitamin A has been linked to hair loss. Although vitamin A deficiency could cause hair loss, hair experts add that vitamin A deficiency is uncommon in the United States, so there's no need to supplement unless the deficiency is clearly evident.

Many foods contain vitamin A such as greens and broccoli, as well as root vegetables such as carrots and potatoes, and yellow vegetables such as squash, which may help reduce these symptoms.

Biotin

Several studies have cited it as having hair growth benefits because it is known as vitamin B7, also known as biotin. But maybe it's not quite as bad as it sounds. As a precursor of red blood cells, biotin is able to transport nutrients and oxygen to the scalp and hair follicles. It is also responsible for the production of keratin, an important constituent of hair. The American Institute of Health notes that the majority of individuals receive sufficient biotin from their diets. Biotin-rich foods are the best way to obtain more of them. A biotin-rich diet includes milk, eggs, bananas, salmon, sweet potatoes, and almonds. 

Biologically, biotin cannot be harmful. A problem with high biotin levels is that they could affect the results of blood tests, such as those with thyroid hormones and heart attack risk. The Food and Drug Administration announced in 2018 that people taking biotin got inflated or decreased blood test results (FDA, 2020). There is a danger in this. The biotin in a person's blood can affect the outcome of a blood test so a medical professional is unable to recognize when they have a heart attack. 

Vitamin D 

One approach to boost your vitamin D levels is to spend some time out in the sun. Getting your dose can be obtained from 12-15 minutes of sun exposure every day. Summer doesn't present an issue on this front, but during the winter, you may have a hard time soaking up enough sun. Food sources and supplements provide you with a solution here. Eating vitamin D-rich foods will help you increase your vitamin D levels. Sixty men with spot baldness and 60 control subjects were studied in a study on vitamin D levels. They discovered that those with hair loss had much weaker vitamin D levels than the controls. A lower level of hair loss is linked to a lower concentration of testosterone (Gartner, 2018).

The Vitamin D levels of 40 men with spot baldness were compared with the levels of 40 control subjects in another study. Ninety-five percent of the participants with spot baldness were vitamin D deficient, compared with only 65 percent without hair loss (Gartner, 2019). Vitamin D is a hormone produced by your body when it's in contact with sunlight. Eggs and milk also contain vitamin D. Unfortunately, many Americans are deficient in vitamin D, particularly in winter. A medical professional can check your Vitamin D levels if you have thinning hair and tell you if a supplement is needed. The benefits of Vitamin D for hair growth aren't universal. Nevertheless, ensuring healthy levels can have other benefits as well. 

If you're concerned about the state of your diet, you should make sure that it doesn't lack the basic nutrients regardless of what you see in the mirror. To maintain healthy hair, one must consume ample protein, iron, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin B. Rather than being a diet-oriented shopper, you might want to consider shopping at Whole Foods and taking some vitamins or supplements to ensure your health problems are not getting worse. The wellness experts claim hair-loss supplements work because they contain the vitamin mentioned above ingredients.

Vitamins A and C are beneficial for keeping hair healthy, nourished, and lustrous by stimulating sebum production on the scalp. However, each of these vitamins has individual benefits as well. While Vitamin A promotes hair growth, Vitamin C enhances iron absorption and collagen production, both of which are essential for the maintenance of strong hair. Two minerals that are particularly beneficial are zinc and selenium. In addition to improving oil production, zinc also slows hair loss because it produces the necessary amount of sebum. The mineral selenium can also soften dry, itchy scalps, which can negatively impact hair growth. Take any or all of these vitamins and minerals as part of your supplement regimen to combat hair loss.

Do Hair Vitamins Really Work?

Consumer Reports noted that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not tightly regulate vitamins and dietary supplements or all of the claims made about them. As a result, industry insights have concluded that essential vitamins, such as Vitamin B complex, Vitamin A, and many more, can reverse hair loss from a dietary deficit. Moreover, some labels do not accurately reflect the content. Among the examples cited in the magazine is a multivitamin that contained 150 times as much selenium as the label stated. While selenium is essential for good hair growth, excessive selenium can cause hair loss.

In 2020, researchers reviewed 110 scientific articles on vitamins and hair loss. Besides zinc, biotin, riboflavin, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin E, researchers found that the scientific evidence supporting the use of these vitamins and minerals was insufficient. They warned against using biotin, which can affect blood tests in some cases (Gartner, 2020; FDA, 2020). The only factors linked to male pattern baldness are vitamin D and iron.

Can Supplements Cause Hair Loss?

Supplementing too much with vitamins and nutritional supplements can lead to depleted health of hair. In addition to excessive selenium, taking too much Vitamin A can also cause hair loss. A wide variety of health problems can result from taking too many vitamins over the recommended amount.

Conclusion

Even though it may seem like a lot, hair falls out on average between 70 and 90 times per day. The aging process results in hair loss for many people. It is sometimes necessary to visit a doctor. Addressing baldness at the beginning of its progression can reduce the amount of loss and increase the effectiveness of the treatment. A doctor can conduct a thorough physical evaluation of the hair and scalp during a hair loss consultation. If hair loss is caused by abnormalities in the blood, blood tests can be taken and sent to the lab. Hair samples or scalp biopsies may be taken in order to identify the causes of the hair loss.