Malnourishment has a negative effect on hair growth. Not nourishing your body with vital minerals and vitamins that are important for everyday functions of your body can result in sickness, disease and even death. Malnutrition and starvation go hand in hand, and it continues to be a problem for people in underdeveloped countries. Malnutrition can be a result of natural disasters, poverty and political war problems.
Identification
According to MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, some known causes of malnourishment include digestion or absorption problems, underlying medical conditions and/or having a poor and unbalanced diet. Those who are dieting and eliminating important foods from their diet may be creating a vitamin deficiency. Disorders such as anorexia or bulimia can also lead to malnourishment.
Function
According to the Mayo Clinic, your hair cycle has a period of growth and rest--anagen and telogen. Each cycle varies depending upon the individual and certain conditions. Normally people shed 50 to 100 hairs per day from the scalp; the lost hair is replaced in the same follicle by a new hair and the hair growth cycle begins again.
Telogen Effluvium
Telogen effluvium is a condition that causes hair to enter the resting phase of the hair growth cycle prematurely, and shed because of stress and other factors that have influenced the body. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, this could be caused by sickness, thyroid disease and inadequate protein and iron in a person's diet. Also, sudden or excessive weight loss, strict dieting and disturbances of metabolic processes could cause telogen effluvium.
Significance
Vitamins and minerals that are important to achieve healthy hair growth include the eight B-complex vitamins, iron, protein, potassium, calcium and magnesium. These can be found in many vegetables, fruits and proteins. Vitamin A produces sebum, a substance that helps keep hair from breaking and drying out. Vitamin E helps stimulate hair growth by circulating blood to the hair follicle.
Considerations
Signs and symptoms of malnutrition include fainting, slow growth in children, quick hair loss and lack of menstruation. Most nutritional deficiencies can be fixed if the person begins to fuel his body with nutrients and vitamins. If a medical condition causes malnutrition, the illness must be treated before the nutritional deficiency can be corrected.
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