The big question: Is there any connection between what you put in your mouth and keeping a full head of hair? For men, the answer is a resounding no. (Sorry, guys. Except in cases of extreme malnutrition, no amount of vitamins or minerals will regrow hair.) But for some women who have experienced hair loss related to physical trauma, crash dieting or heavy menstrual flow, the answer is yes.
Actually, when it comes to hair loss, everyone is a loser—all of the time. Even the owner of the world’s most luxurious locks sheds 50 to 150 hairs a day. What separates him from the guy who could double as a billiard ball? In someone with a full head of hair, new hairs constantly grow in, filling all of the empty spaces. Whether you sprout enough new hairs to prevent baldness depends mostly on your parents. Genes are the culprits in what is known as male- or female-pattern baldness.
Researchers have found, however, that certain nutrients often seem to be determining factors in hair regrowth in women.
Iron and the Maiden
When a woman loses iron because of something such as trauma, poor diet or heavy menstruation, several things happen. Among them: Her body literally stops producing hair until she gets more iron.
“I’ve been practicing medicine for more than 30 years now, and it’s my experience that in most females who are menstruating regularly, there is mild to severe iron-deficiency anemia,” says Wilma Bergfeld, M.D., a dermatologist and director of the Section of Dermatopathology (the study of the causes and effects of skin diseases and abnormalities) and Dermatological Research at the Cleveland Clinic.
The Daily Value for iron is 18 milligrams. But getting enough iron is only part of the picture, says Alexander Zemtsov, M.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis.
Because iron absorption is boosted by vitamin C, he recommends talking to your doctor about a prescription for Niferex with Vitamin C. Each capsule contains 50 milligrams of iron and 100 milligrams of vitamin C. Or you can get over-the-counter Niferex, which has 50 milligrams of iron, and take it with 100 milligrams of vitamin C. “I recommend taking one of these capsules a day until the hair is back to normal, usually in two to three months,” says Dr. Zemtsov.
High daily intake of iron can cause iron overload in some people. For this reason, doses exceeding the Daily Value (18 milligrams) should be taken only under medical supervision.
| Food Factors What you eat may well have an effect on how good your hair looks, but there's little you can do in terms of diet that will have an impact on how much hair you have. Here are a couple of things that doctors say you can do for healthier hair. Steer clear of crash diets. Trimming pounds gradually not only is healthier than crash dieting but also keeps your hair on your head. "Any woman who has lost 20 pounds or more in a period of three months is going to have a problem with hair loss," says Wilma Bergfeld, M.D., a dermatologist and director of the Section of Dermatopathology and Dermatological Research at the Cleveland Clinic. The safe and effective way to lose weight: trimming no more than a pound a week. Pump up your iron. To boost iron absorption, some doctors also recommend drinking orange juice, which is high in vitamin C, whenever you eat foods high in iron, such as broccoli and red meat, says Alexander Zemtsov, M.D., associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. |
| Prescriptions for Healing Except in cases of starvation, it doesn't seem that vitamins and minerals affect hair growth in men. On the other hand, nutrients may prove helpful for some women who have experienced hair loss. Here's what the experts recommend. Nutrient Daily Amount
Iron 50 milligrams (Niferex) Vitamin C 100 milligrams Plus a multivitamin/mineral supplement containing the Daily Values of all essential vitamins and minerals
MEDICAL ALERT: High daily intake of iron can cause iron overload in some people. For this reason, doses exceeding the Daily Value (18 milligrams) should be taken only under medical supervision. |
Taking a Little Insurance
Because a broad array of nutrients, including vitamin C, iron, biotin, folate and zinc, seem to play roles in hair growth, some experts recommend taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement to cover all your nutritional bases.
“Biotin, for example, appears to enhance hair growth, thicken fibers and diminish shedding. But all of these nutrients sort of do the same thing,” says Dr. Bergfeld. “What we’re talking about is fitting multiple pieces together. There are just so many factors that it’s hard to isolate which one is the most important.”
Further strengthening the argument for taking a multivitamin/mineral supplement is that many older people get fewer nutrients, says Dr. Bergfeld. “As women get into their forties and fifties, medical conditions that exaggerate hair loss include reduction of female hormones, thyroid disorders and diabetes. The frequent necessity for drug therapy for medical conditions can also exaggerate hair loss,” she says.
Some Promises Don’t Wash
What about feeding your hair from the outside? Some ads for shampoos and conditioners that contain nutrients make it sound like your hair needs an infusion of what these products provide to stay lush and healthy.
“These really aren’t very helpful,” says Dr. Bergfeld. “They can help hair have the appearance of body and fullness by temporarily swelling the hair shafts, but that’s about it.”
Hair care products can’t help hair grow because the hair on your head is dead. The only way nutrients can affect hair growth is if they make it to the scalp, where hair is produced, explains Dr. Zemtsov. “You can put whatever you like on there,” he says. “But if it doesn’t penetrate about a half-centimeter or deeper into the scalp to reach the hair follicle—and it never will—it doesn’t work.” Nutrition must come from the inside.
