Calorie Lack Causes Breakdown
Nationally known nutritionist and bestselling author Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., says she's never seen a high-protein diet cause baldness, per se. However, Gittleman has seen people on high-protein, low-calorie diets who have lost hair. The hair loss occurs because there's not enough caloric intake to support normal bodily functions, she says. "The body starts to kind of cannibalize itself," Gittleman says.
Basically, the body begins breaking down protein bonds when it lacks enough calories to sustain health, she said.
Essential Fatty Acids
Hair loss serves as a good clinical sign to raise calories and ensure you're taking a good multi-vitamin and mineral, as well as enough essential fatty acids, she says.
The fatty acids you need for healthy hair include omega-3s--found in sources such as flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed and olive oil--and omega 6s, found in safflower, sunflower, corn, olive and sesame oils, to name a few.
These omegas are precursors to eicosapentaenoic acids, or EPAs, and gammalinelenic acids, or GLAs. You also can get EPAs and GLAs directly from food sources. Good sources of EPAs are anchovy, salmon, herring, mackerel and albacore tuna. The best sources of GLAs are borage plant, black currant oil, gooseberry oil and evening primrose oil.
You need the EPAs and GLAs along with zinc and vitamin A to promote healthy hair growth, according to Gittleman.
Loss is Reversible
Losing hair due to poor diet is not permanent, Gittleman says. "When people who've lost hair in these cases start to take in an appropriate number of calories," she says, "the hair comes right back."
Member Comments