Vitamins are essential to the health of all tissues, including hair. Hair, as well as the skin and fingernails, are especially sensitive to changing levels of nutrients and other chemicals, such as hormones. Vitamin B-6 is perhaps the most important vitamin involved in cellular metabolism and energy production, which affects hair growth and hair loss, but it is also required for the formation of protein. B-6 deficiency causes temporary hair loss and reduced growth.
Functions of B-6
Vitamin B-6, or pyridoxine, is required for amino acid metabolism and governs the release of glucose from glycogen, making it the principal energy-producing vitamin within the body, as cited in "Advanced Nutrition: Macronutrients, Micronutrients and Metabolism." B-6 reduces the sensitivity of hair and skin to the effects of testosterone, which plays roles in male-pattern baldness and skin conditions, such as acne. In addition, B-6 is required for the synthesis of RNA and DNA that contain the instructions for the reproduction and growth of all cells and tissue, including hair. Further, it is needed to form proteins -- the primary constituent of hair.
Requirements of B-6
The Recommended Dietary Allowance, or RDA, of vitamin B-6 for adults is no more than 2 mg daily, as cited in "The Vitamins." B-6 is one of the few vitamins that cause toxicity in large doses, but it is not thought to occur until consuming 2,000 mg in a single dosage or at least 100 mg daily for many months.
Deficiency Symptoms and Hair Loss
A deficiency of B-6 commonly leads to dramatically reduced hair growth, hair loss and a variety of skin disorders that affect the scalp and impact hair secondarily, such as eczema, dandruff and psoriasis. Hair loss from nutritional deficiencies, including B-6, is often temporary and is restored with adequate nutrition or supplements. Other B-vitamins that affect hair growth and loss include biotin, folic acid, inositol, niacin and pantothenic acid.
Rich Sources of B-6
B-vitamins are often found together in the same foods, such as beef, organ meats, dairy products, eggs, fish, poultry, most nuts, legumes and green leafy vegetables, such as spinach, as cited by the "American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide." Additional sources of B-6 include bananas, wheat germ and cantaloupe. B-6 toxicity cannot occur from eating natural sources, but only from mega-dosing its synthetic form, pyridoxine.
Those Most at Risk of Deficiency and Hair Loss
Typical candidates for B-6 deficiency include the elderly, growing teenagers, women on birth control pills, alcoholics, people with heart disease, people on high-sugar diets, people under severe stress and people taking steroids or antibiotics, as cited in "Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care."
References
- "Advanced Nutrition: Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Metabolism"; Carolyn D. Berdanier; 2009
- "The Vitamins, Third Edition"; Gerald F. Combs; 2007
- "Vitamins: Fundamental Aspects in Nutrition and Health"; G. Combs; 2008
- "American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide"; American Dietetic Association; 2006
- "Nutrition and Diagnosis-Related Care"; Sylvia Escott-Stump; 2008
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