People think that healthy-looking hair means that you are healthy.
This is because hair needs a lot of nutrients to grow.
Many people who have a deficiency of certain nutrients also lose their hair.
Best supplements for male hair loss
Many people suffer from male pattern baldness. Some may not even realize they have it because hair loss is so gradual and comes in a few patches.
Supplements for male hair loss can keep your mane strong, but you might be wondering what options are out there. We’ve compiled a list of 9 of the best supplements for men that will help stop or prevent hair loss – read on to find out more!
1. Vitamin A
All cells need vitamin A for growth, including hair. As a result, hair is the fastest-growing tissue in the human body.
Vitamin A helps the skin glands to make an oily substance called sebum. Sebum moisturizes the scalp and makes hair healthy.[source: Endogenous retinoids in the hair follicle and sebaceous gland]
Diets without vitamin A might lead to hair loss.
Vitamin A is essential for your body. So make sure that you get enough. One way to do this is by eating carrots, which are full of vitamin A. But there can be too much of a good thing. For example, sometimes, people who take too much vitamin A might not have hair because it affects their hair growth.
Kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, and spinach are all high in beta-carotene. They contain vitamin A.
Vitamin A can be found in other places besides vegetables. For example, it is located in animal products such as milk, eggs, and yogurt. In addition, the oil from Cod liver is a good source of vitamin A.
2. Vitamin B7 (Biotin)
Some people’s levels of Biotin can be low. For example, if you’re pregnant, breastfeeding, taking certain antibiotics or epilepsy drugs, then your level may be lacking. You might suffer hair loss, skin rashes, and brittle nails if you’re deficient in Biotin.
Most people get enough Biotin from their food. You can find it in eggs, whole grains, and meat.
3. Iron
Iron helps carry oxygen to your cells. This is important for hair growth and other bodily functions.
Some people get hair loss because they don’t have enough iron. This is called anemia. It is more common in women than men.
[source: Diffuse hair loss in an adult female: an approach to diagnosis and management]
You can get iron from many different types of food, such as clams, oysters, eggs, red meat, and spinach.
4. Vitamin D
Vitamin D deficiency is linked to alopecia, a condition that causes people to lose hair.
[source: Successful Treatment of Alopecia Areata with Topical Calcipotriol]
Scientists think that vitamin D might play a role in hair production, but most research is focused on vitamin D receptors. Therefore, the role of vitamin D in hair growth is unknown.
Most people do not get enough vitamin D. It may be a good idea to get more of it.
Your body can make vitamin D from the sun. Good sources of vitamin D include foods with fat, like fish and cod liver oil, and some mushrooms that have been grown outdoors. You can also get a lot of vitamin D from fortified foods like cereal.
5. Vitamin C
Free radicals can cause your hair to age. In addition, the free radicals are harmful to you and block growth. Vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that can help protect you against this oxidative stress.
[source: Oxidative Stress in Ageing of Hair]
Vitamin C is needed to create a protein called collagen. Collagen is important for hair structure.
Vitamin C is good for your body. It helps it absorb the iron that your hair needs to grow and keeps skin healthy.
Citrus fruits, strawberries, peppers, and guavas are all sources of vitamin C. They are good for your body.
6. Vitamin E
Vitamin C and vitamin E are both antioxidants. Vitamin C helps prevent oxidative stress. The people in the placebo group only had an increase of 0.1%.
[source: Effects of tocotrienol supplementation on hair growth in human volunteers]
Avocados, spinach, sunflower seeds, and almonds are all excellent sources of vitamin E.
7. Zinc
Zinc is vital for hair. It helps it grow and repairs it. In addition, zinc helps keep the oil glands around the follicles working optimally.
Hair loss can happen if your body doesn’t have enough zinc. People who don’t take any zinc supplements will have hair loss. You should take a supplement to make sure you get enough zinc.
[source: Oral zinc therapy for zinc deficiency-related telogen effluvium]
Some foods with zinc are oysters, beef, spinach, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, and lentils.
8. Protein
Hair is made out of protein. Therefore, it is essential to eat enough protein for your hair to be healthy and grow.
However, it is rare for people in Western countries to have a protein deficiency.
9. Selenium
Selenium is a kind of metal that you need for your body, and it is found in food. It helps us make proteins. Selenium deficiency can happen to people who don’t have enough selenium or who are on total parenteral nutrition (TPN). Selenium deficiency can also occur if the soil does not have enough selenium nearby.
[source: Nutrition and hair]
Pigment in your hair will go away if you don’t take selenium. But if you take selenium, it will come back to its standard color. When people get nutritional support, they can also lose their pigmentation and have alopecia or pseudo albinism. Six infants who received daily selenium (5 μg/kg/day) had better pigmentation and fewer problems like alopecia or pseudo albinism after 6-12 months of therapy.
[source: Clinical features of selenium deficiency in infants receiving long-term nutritional support]
Doctors researched how selenium affects people. They found that selenium can help support people who are getting chemotherapy. People who took the selenium had less hair loss and other symptoms than those who didn’t take it.
[source: Re: “Selenium as an element in the treatment of ovarian cancer in women receiving chemotherapy“]
Conclusion
Hair loss is a problem that lots of people have, and it can make them feel unhappy.
Hair loss is expected in the dermatological community, and doctors don’t know why it happens to everyone sometimes.
But they do know that vitamins and minerals help hair grow more.
So losing too many vitamins might make you lose your hair, so you should eat foods with those vitamins in them to avoid this problem.
Take supplements if getting them from food is challenging.
Ladies and gents, gather round, I’ve got a tale to tell. Picture this: a body that refuses to bulk up, paired with a metabolism slower than a snail’s race to the finish line. It’s a curse, I tell ya! But fear not, my friends, for I took this challenge head-on and became a scholar in all things weight loss and nutrition. And now, I’m here to share my tales of triumph (and some struggles) with you all, so you too can finally achieve that bod of your dreams! flex (just kidding, still workin’ on it).
— Christian Tanobey
