In case of hair loss or hair weakness, more and more consumers resort to vitamins and food supplements specific for treating hair loss and hair thinning. Among the many nutrients and the many food supplements on the market, it is essential to know which remedy can be really useful and effective against hair thinning and hair loss, even from the regulatory point of view. And judging from data collected by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) , the nutrients that can be really useful are few. Let's see what they are.
Hair thinning and hair loss are related to genetic and hormonal factors (case in point is androgenetic alopecia in men) but also diet can play an important role. A diet deficient in certain nutrients, which are essential for hair health, can lead to hair weakening or hair loss, and in some cases even to alopecia.
In case of hair loss or hair thinning, it is important, for both men and women, making a kind of "examination of conscience" on our diet and eating habits.
Some nutritional deficiencies can cause or contribute along with other factors to hair weakening and hair loss.
What are the nutrients really effective for the health of your hair and indirectly useful for hair loss prevention and treatment ?
Among the many nutrients advertised as effective remedies against hair loss and baldness, for the moment only Biotin, Zinc and Selenium can boast, from the regulatory point of view, and then on the label, Health Claims about the maintenance of normal hair authorized by the European Food Safety Authority ( EFSA).
The precise Healt Claim is " .... contributes to the maintenance of normal hair " and if today are very few the nutrients for which this claim has been authorized, we should consider that the regulatory situation could change with the evaluation of new scientific data.
Let's see in detail how these nutrients, normally taken at sufficient levels with a varied and balanced diet, are useful and effective in maintaining healty hair and what are the best dietary sources of these nutrients.
Biotin (Vitamin B8 or vitamin H): Biotin is a B-group vitamin, that can be useful to promote the growth and health of hair as it is proven that biotin deficiency, a rare nutritional disorder, causes, among other symptoms, hair thinning and hair loss progression (alopecia).
A 1-2 months Biotin deficiency treatment, based on dietary intervention or food supplements, leads to the growth of normal and healthy hair.
Dietary sources of biotin: The main dietary sources of biotin, that shouldn’t miss in your diet, are milk , dairy products , egg yolk and seafood . The bioavailability of biotin in plants is lower.
Selenium: Selenium is a trace element, essential for many physiological functions.
Selenium deficiency is associated with various disorders including hair weakening and hair loss up to baldness. In case of selenium deficiency, intake of selenium is able to reverse all these deficiency symptoms .
Dietary sources of selenium: Among the best dietary sources of selenium we can find food of animal origin such as fish (tuna , sardines, sole) , shellfish (lobster, shrimp, mussels) and liver.
Dietary sources of plant origin are mainly beans, corn , rice and lentils.
They are less rich in selenium than animal sources and selenium content varies depending on terrain type.
Zinc: Zinc is an essential component of proteins and enzymes with antioxidant or catalytic functions .
Zinc deficiency causes , among many symptoms, hair loss, especially patchy hair loss (alopecia areata).
Dietary sources of Zinc: the main dietary sources of animal origin are grana cheese, pork or beef liver, turkey meat , lamb or pork. Among the food sources of plant origin, pecans, beans, peas and peanuts stand out.
In addition to these nutrients, that can be naturally found in food, some hair supplements contain even herbal extracts, such as Serenoa repens extract .
Serenoa repens is now the most popular among the natural inhibitor of the enzyme 5-alpha-reductase (5AR), which converts testosterone to dihydrotestosterone.
For this reason, despite the lack of appropriate clinical trials, Serenoa repens is widely publicized as a powerful remedy for benign prostatic hyperplasia and androgenetic alopecia (AGA), not only by producers but even by hair specialists, that promote Serenoa repens extract as a safer and natural alternative to finasteride, a synthetic 5 -alpha- reductase inhibitor.
Sources:
EFSA Journal
J Cutan Aesthet Surg.2009 Jan-Jun; 2(1): 31–32.doi
Serenoa Repens: Does It have Any Role in the Management of Androgenetic Alopecia?
Sundaram Murugusundram
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