Table Of Content
When a doctor diagnoses low ferritin levels, they will typically advise the person to adjust their diet and take an iron supplement until iron levels normalize. Vitamin A is a group of compounds including retinol, retinal, retinoic acid, and provitamin A carotenoids. Other groups at risk include patients with malignancy, those with liver or renal dysfunction, pregnant women [31], and patients with alcoholism [32]. Drugs that can affect zinc levels include valproic acid [33] and certain antihypertensives [34]. Patients are monitored to measure their response—an important point. Patients who take iron supplements without monitoring are at risk for potentially severe complications, as iron supplementation leading to iron overload can cause toxicity.
Biotin
Vitamins and minerals are important for normal cell growth and function and may contribute to hair loss when they are deficient. While supplementation is relatively affordable and easily accessible, it is important to know which vitamins and minerals are helpful in treating hair loss. There is some evidence that iron deficiency and anaemia are linked to hair loss, however, it’s not thought to be a common symptom. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron for the body to use as needed.
Low Iron and Your Body
In patients with no risk factors, further laboratory evaluation searching for nutritional deficiencies is not warranted. For patients with nutritional deficiencies, it is clear that those deficiencies should be corrected. Further research is required to determine whether any benefit exists for nutrient supplementation in the absence of documented deficiency. At this time, patients must be informed that such research is lacking and that in fact some supplements carry the risk of worsening hair loss or the risk of toxicity. You need iron to make hemoglobin, a protein that helps your red blood cells carry oxygen.
Hair loss in women vs. men
Over-supplementation of some nutrients may result in multiple toxicities, while over-supplementation of certain nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin E, and selenium, may actually result in hair loss. Screening in those with risk factors is indicated, as hair loss due to zinc deficiency can be reversed. A case series demonstrated reversal of hair loss following oral supplementation in five patients with TE and zinc deficiency [37]. Most males and postmenopausal females get enough iron from food and should not take iron supplements unless prescribed by a doctor. Pregnant females should take prenatal vitamins, which usually contain iron. Women who have heavy periods may also need to take iron supplements.
vitamin B12
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This study owns its value because it demonstrates the first direct comparison between hair loss patients and same number of healthy controls matched by age and sex. It strongly supports the previous studies that ID can be a certain factor of developing or worsening FPHL especially in premenopausal female patients. However, screening for ID as the first evaluation of hair loss in even male patients might be worthwhile in the clinical field. This study was designed to find out evidence about association between ID and hair loss. Although females have more issues about ID in general, hair loss is common problem in males, too.
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For people who prefer to get nutrients from plant-based sources, legumes and leafy greens like kale, broccoli, and collards are a great way to get iron. You’ll also find grocery store shelves lined with iron-fortified foods, including cereal, bread, and pasta. Research estimates anemia affects up to 12% of white women and 20% of Black and Mexican-American women, compared to only 2% of adult men (Killip, 2007). You’ve probably heard of iron deficiency––or maybe even had it yourself.
They may progress quickly, or they may appear over weeks or months. Beyond what you put into your body, keeping good hair hygiene may also help with some forms of hair loss. Avoid using harsh chemicals on your hair, and don’t be too rough on it while brushing. Use straighteners and hair curlers that emit a lot of heat sparingly.
More Common Causes of Hair Loss
No clinical trials have shown efficacy in treating hair loss with biotin supplementation in the absence of deficiency. Despite this, biotin is found in multiple supplements marketed to consumers for hair loss. This marketing approach may have been chosen as biotin has shown positive effects in the treatment of brittle fingernails and onychoschizia [62–63]. Symptoms of deficiency include eczematous skin rash, alopecia, and conjunctivitis [60].
This controversy might be caused by study designs, methodology and clinical condition defining hair loss. Biotin deficiency causes hair loss, but there are no evidence-based data that supplementing biotin promotes hair growth. Moreover, exogenous biotin interferes with some laboratory tests, creating false negative or false positive results. Hypervitaminosis A causes hair loss, and data on the effects of isotretinoin in hair loss support this association. Folate is another water-soluble B vitamin and includes naturally occurring food folate and folic acid (fully oxidized monoglutamate).
This iron loss also happens if you have endometriosis, a condition where tissue grows outside of the uterus and can cause heavy bleeding during your period. This is a rare side effect and is usually reversible with treatment to boost the body’s iron levels. In the later stages of iron deficiency, the nails can become spoon-shaped, meaning that the middle of your nail dips and the edges raise to give a rounded appearance like a spoon.
In addition, a few case reports have been published relating TE with crash diet [134–136]. People commonly inquire about vitamin and mineral supplementation and diet as a means to prevent or manage dermatological diseases and, in particular, hair loss. Answering these queries is frequently challenging, given the enormous and conflicting body of evidence that exists on this subject. However, excess supplementation may result in hypervitaminosis E, which can increase the risk of bleeding and decrease thyroid hormone production. Additionally, there is some evidence for an adverse effect on hair growth, as seen in volunteers taking 600 IU per day for 28 days, a dosage around 30 times the daily recommended intake [8].
Studies show that too much vitamin A can contribute to hair loss, as can too much selenium, although more studies are needed to establish the latter relationship. We performed a broad literature search of PubMed and Google Scholar in July 2018 to compile published articles that study the relationship between vitamins and minerals, and hair loss. After three authors had independently screened titles and abstracts for relevance and had thoroughly examined the clinical results, 125 articles were selected to be included in this review. This article is based on previously conducted studies and does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors. ID is a continuum of various status of iron deposition in the body.
