You are in: Home / Health Conditions / Dieting and Hair Loss
Dieting and Hair Loss
This is one thing you won't see on a diet ad - women with thinning hair. According to this piece in the Pittsburgh Gazette, hair loss is a very real problem when making abrupt dietary changes.
The little-talked-about secret of the dieting industry is that a successful diet can also trigger hair loss. As Americans struggle with obesity and tackle countless fad diets, some dermatologists say they are increasingly hearing complaints from perplexed dieters about thinning hair.
The article lists a number of nutritional deficiencies that could result in thinning hair:
Changes in levels of zinc, magnesium, protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins D, B and A can all trigger episodes of shedding hair.
Hair loss in women is normally associated with hormonal changes - such as after childbirth - but it's not often you read about an association with weight loss diets.
Thinning hair can be quite frightening.
As far as men go, well some of us are quite familiar with thinning hair - no matter what the diet is... However the article points out that "The problem affects both men and women, but women are more likely to notice it and seek treatment, say doctors."
Read More
- Prevent Cold and Flu with a Healthy Diet (Diet Blog)
- Reducing Cholesterol by Eating the Right Foods (Diet Blog)
- Meet Greg, 155 Pounds Down! (DailySpark)
- 2012 Super Bowl Commercial Winners: Oikos and Belvita [VIDEOS] (Diets in Review)
47 Comments
Add Your Comment
Created / Updated: November 8, 2011
That's definitely a side-effect that isn't talked about much. I wonder how common it is? I had very thick hair and it thinned out a lot when I went on the Pill, which actually was good because it became much more manageable. I wonder if the super-skinny celebrities in Hollywood have to deal with hair loss?
ReplyThis is Truth.
ReplyI have been successful in the past in losing weight, only to 'freak out' and regain all the weight when I developed profuse hair loss. EVERY time, EVERY diet. Vitamins, supplements, 'good' diets, 'slow' weight loss, exercise, great self care, no chemical hair stuff. It was torment. The jury seems to be out on this.. I 'hear' that folks having had gastric bypass or banding are advised to eat 'plenty of protein' to avoid this emotionally crippling diet side effect.
I've wondered the same because many of them have such flat, thin hair like they've ironed--or dieted--the life out it.
ReplyI think the subject is taboo - and something you don't hear much about.
Replyi lost a lot of hair after i had my daughter. That really sucks, because my hair is waist length and i REALLY dont want to cut it :(
Spectra, why does the pill cause hair loss?? Is it only one type of pill or do they all cause thinning hair? i was planning on starting the mini-pill in a few weeks, mainly due to the benifits of added estrogen for a long term dieter/eating disordered person like me. But i need to hang on to every hair on my head.
ReplyIt changes the levels of estrogen in your body, which gives a similar effect to having a baby, hormone-wise. I think the mini-pill would probably minimize the hair-loss though, since the hormone dosage is a lot lower.
ReplySee.. now you know how men have been feeling for years with male pattern baldness... !!!! jokes everyone!!
ReplyYes, however, 'bald' for men is SO in vogue now. Most women find the bald head, earring, and 'five o'clock shadow' extremely appealing. Bald women, however, aren't held to the same standard, unless of course they are under age twenty-five!
ReplyI have even heard of cases of alopecia areata in pregnant women. It would be interesting to know how common it is in women (pregnant women).
ReplyOh my gosh!!!!
This terrifies me. I lost a lot of hair after my daughter was born. Then it started to go back to normal. Well, I should say that I just noticed less falling out in the shower or when I brushed it. I have really thin hair and didn't notice it getting any thicker.
Over the past 6 months or so I've lost 40+ pounds and I'm noticing it falling out at a fast rate again. I thought it might be stress or something. So this really stinks because I don't have a lot of hair to begin with!
Replynoooooooo :-(
I know pregnancy can really screw with your hair. My aunt's hair grew in really thick when she was pregnant and then a lot of it fell out when the baby was born. I think it's the change in hormone levels, mainly. That's what causes it in most men, too. Too much of a testosterone-like hormone. I kind of hope mine grows really thick again when I get pregnant because I don't want to lose much more of it.
ReplyWebMD has some advice about nutrients for preventing hair loss:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/78/95826.htm
ReplyThanks, Spectra. i'll try the mini-pill.
For those of you with hair loss problems (hopefulloser, for one?) Take prenatal vitamins every day. It really helps. Also, try and include nuts into your diet, particularly walnuts and brazil nuts, and also oily fish, like salmon and sardines.
ReplySupplementing your diet with Omega 3-6-9 essential fatty acids will help this problem too.
ReplyThanks for all that great info,
ReplyI am a vegetarian and eat a well balanced diet. But I do take a great vitamin that is very close to the prenatal one to make up for the potential lack of the vitamin Bs. Also I have to start eating more flax again.
I'll start incorporating more Omegas and see how it goes!
Here is my favorite site for hair care info and advice:
http://www.tlhs.org/
Simply improving your hair care can really help with reducing excessive hairloss.
ReplyWill the hair eventually grow back after you are on the diet for a while? or will it just keep falling out as long your on it?
Reply