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Hair Loss and Vitamins...What deficiencies are associated with hair loss conditions?
Hair loss...Am I right? That's why we're here. I remember when I first started to notice my thinning hair I jumped on the internet to inquire about which supplement I should start taking to bolster my hair growth.
"Have you tried Biotin for your hair loss!" My friends would always ask....
"You know Becky gave it a try....Her hair grew super fast and her nails got sooooo strong...She basically had to use a chainsaw to cut them. You should really try it!"
Gag.
Was it really that simple? Was Biotin supplementation the answer to my hair loss woes? The question nagged at me until I decided to do some investigating...
But before we dive in... If you are experiencing hair loss and aren't sure why...definitely go see your doctor before throwing any money at supplements. My androgenic alopecia diagnosis was difficult to accept at first....But at least now I know what is causing my diffuse hair thinning and can treat it accordingly.
Also, if you're interested in learning about more evidence-based hair loss treatments check out my other blog posts linked HERE
For methods on concealing hair loss check out my posts linked HERE.
Here's what I'm serving up in this post:
Background on vitamins and minerals
We'll review some vitamin/ mineral deficiencies that have been associated with hair loss conditions like androgenic alopecia, telogen effluvium, and alopecia areata.
We'll also review some vitamins/minerals that may result in hair loss with over supplementation.
Vitamins & Minerals...Tell me more about that...
There are 13 essential vitamins — vitamins A, C, D, E, K, and the B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, biotin, B6, B12, and folate) (6). So what do they do?
Let me keep it pretty general...Some may aide in immune function while others might support healthy nerves, or helping your body get enough energy etc.
Similar to the role of vitamins...Minerals also help your body function and are elements that can be found on the earth and in foods. Some minerals you need in larger quantities. Examples may include calcium, and magnesium. While other minerals you need in very small quantities... An example of this type of mineral might be iodine.
If you're consuming a balanced diet, you will probably get enough vitamins and minerals. However, I still supplement daily with a multi-vitamin which I've linked below to ensure my bases are covered. I also supplement with magnesium separately because my multi-vitamin does not have this.
Talk to your doctor about which dietary supplement is right for you and watch out for super doses of certain vitamins and minerals because too much of some vitamins and minerals may be harmful and we will review some of those below.
Hair Loss and Vitamins: Biotin
The vitamin B complex includes eight water-soluble vitamin substances—thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), vitamin B6, biotin (B7), folate, and vitamin B12.
For adults 30 micrograms/day in U.S. populations is sufficient for biotin intake (1) and deficiency is rare, because intestinal bacteria are typically able to produce enough biotin (2)...
Biotin deficiency can be genetic or acquired. So what are the acquired causes? Some might include, pregnancy, prolonged use of antibiotics that interrupt the gut flora, certain medications, alcoholism....(1)
Signs of biotin deficiency do include hair loss, skin rashes, and brittle nails....But biotin efficacy in supplements for hair, skin, and nails to treat these conditions is not supported in large-scale studies (3,4).
No clinical trials have shown efficacy in treating hair loss with biotin supplementation in the absence of deficiency (2).
Is there an upper limit for biotin? There is no upper limit for biotin intake—as there is no evidence for biotin toxicity (1). However, many supplements for hair, skin, and nails exceed the recommended daily intake of biotin (5).
Hair Loss and Vitamins: Vitamin D
Vitamin D can be obtained from the diet or synthesized in skin with the active form being 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)2D]. I supplement daily with the one linked above.
So what does the literature tell us about Vitamin D and hair loss? I was able to find a few reviews on vitamin D levels in individuals with alopecia areata.
A systematic review and meta-analysis by Lee et al. assessed the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and/or serum vitamin D levels in alopecia areata (7).
You can stalk the study HERE.
There were 14 studies included which involved 1255 patients with alopecia areata and 784 control patients without alopecia areata. The mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level in patients with androgenic alopecia was significantly lower than that in the control group, by 8.52 ng/dL (95% confidence interval − 11.53 to − 5.50 ng/dL). Vitamin D deficiency was also highly prevalent in patients with alopecia areata.
Gade et al. conducted a cross-sectional study assessing serum vitamin D levels in patients with alopecia areata compared to healthy controls, and to further identify the association between vitamin D levels and disease severity in patients with alopecia areata.
You can stalk the study HERE.
The study included 45 adult patients with alopecia areata and 45 control subjects. The mean vitamin D level was found to be significantly lower in patients with alopecia areata (17.86 ± SD 5.83 ng/mL) than in the healthy controls (30.65 ± SD 6.21 ng/mL) (p = 0.0001).
This all sounds like vitamin D supplementation may be the answer... But keep in mind...data on vitamin D supplementation in hair loss is seriously lacking (2).
Iron and Vitamin C
Iron and Vitamin C... Name a better duo...I'll wait.
First Iron----The most common nutritional deficiency in the world is iron deficiency, which contributes to telogen effluvium (8, 9).
A good indicator of total iron stores in the body is the serum ferritin level (iron-binding protein) and is typically used as an indicator in hair loss studies (10).
Vitamin C--I supplement with the one linked above intermittently when I feel a cold coming on because of Vitamin C's role in immune function...But--there are no data correlating hair loss with vitamin C levels (1).
So why am I bringing it up? Wellp...It plays an essential role in the intestinal absorption of iron due to its chelating and reducing effect, assisting iron mobilization and intestinal absorption (11). Because of this.. vitamin C intake is important in people with hair loss associated with iron deficiency.
Hair Loss and Vitamins: Vitamin A
Vitamin A---You may be familiar with this group of compounds ....For example: Retinol creams and serums are often used as a way to combat wrinkles...There's also retinal, retinoic acid, and provitamin A carotenoids..
Deficiency in vitamin A has not been found to have a link to hair loss but hypervitaminosis A may occur from over-supplementation (2). And this does have a strong link to hair loss along with other effects on skin, vision and bone (2).
Selenium
You may be familiar with Selenium after seeing it included in some hair loss supplements like Nutrafol linked HERE.
Selenium is also on the ingredient list for my daily multi-vitamin which I've linked HERE.
Selenium is an essential trace element that is required for the synthesis of more than 35 proteins (1). It also plays a role in protection from oxidative damage and hair follicle morphogenesis (2).
The recommended dietary allowance for selenium is 55 micrograms daily for individuals aged ≥ 14 years in U.S. populations (1). The availability of selenium in a variety of foods, such as meat, vegetables, and nuts, are sufficient to meet the daily requirement (12).
When scanning the literature for research studies on selenium supplementation and alopecia I did not turn up much regarding hair growth.
But selenium toxicity from nutritional supplementation has been well documented in the literature. Ingesting selenium in an amount that exceeds 400 micrograms daily may cause toxicity (1). (My multi-vitamin which I take daily has 70 micrograms of selenium FYI).
Some symptoms of acute or chronic selenium toxicity include hair loss, nausea, vomiting, nail brittleness and discolorations, fatigability, irritability....(12).
Things You May Want To Consider...Hair Loss and Vitamins
Always talk to your doctor before making any modifications to your hair loss treatment regimen including vitamin/mineral supplementation
Things to keep in mind when reading this post... I'm reviewing a small amount of the available scientific literature. We didn't cover all of the vitamins and minerals here...But cut me some slack...I still have a day job. I encourage you to do your own research as well
I did find some studies discussing vitamin d deficiency and alopecia areata. But data on the effects of vitamin D supplementation is lacking
Biotin deficiency is super rare and supplementation has not shown efficacy in treating hair loss in individuals without a deficiency
Iron deficiency (ID) is the world’s most common nutritional deficiency and is a well-known cause of hair loss
Vitamin C intake is important in people with hair loss from iron deficiency
No clinical trials have shown efficacy in treating hair loss with biotin supplementation in healthy individuals without biotin deficiency
Just like some vitamin/mineral deficiency may cause hair loss....Over supplementation of some vitamins/minerals may also cause hair loss
We need more clinical trials to understand the effects of vitamin/mineral supplementation on promoting hair growth in individuals with hair loss
Thank you so much for reading 🙂 Don't forget to subscribe to make sure you never miss a post!
XOXO
-Riley
References:
1. Almohanna, Hind M et al. “The Role of Vitamins and Minerals in Hair Loss: A Review.” Dermatology and therapy vol. 9,1 (2019): 51-70. doi:10.1007/s13555-018-0278-6
2. Guo, Emily L, and Rajani Katta. “Diet and hair loss: effects of nutrient deficiency and supplement use.” Dermatology practical & conceptual vol. 7,1 1-10. 31 Jan. 2017, doi:10.5826/dpc.0701a01
3. Zempleni JWS, Kuroishi T. Biotin. Present knowledge in nutrition. 10th edn. Washington, DC: Wiley-Blackwell; 2012. p. 359–74.
4. Mock DM. Biotin. In: Coates PM, Blackman M, Betz JM, Cragg GM, Levine MA, Moss J, White JD, editors. Encyclopedia of dietary supplements, edn 2. London, New York: Informa Healthcare; 2010. pp. 43–51.
5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA warns that biotin may interfere with lab tests: FDA safety communication. Washington, DC: FDA, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2017. Updated 28 Nov 2017. https://www.fda.gov/medicaldevices/safety/alertsandnotices/ucm586505.htm.
6. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/vitamins-and-minerals-older-adults
7. Lee S, Kim BJ, Lee CH, Lee WS. Increased prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in patients with alopecia areata: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol. 2018 Jul;32(7):1214-1221. doi: 10.1111/jdv.14987. Epub 2018 May 18. PMID: 29633370.
8. Trost LB, Bergfeld WF, Calogeras E. The diagnosis and treatment of iron deficiency and its potential relationship to hair loss. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2006;54(5):824–844.
9. Shrivastava SB. Diffuse hair loss in an adult female: approach to diagnosis and management. Indian J Dermatol Venereol Leprol. 2009;75(1):20–27.
10. Walters GO, Miller FM, Worwood M. Serum ferritin concentration and iron stores in normal subjects. J Clin Pathol. 1973;26(10):770–772.
11. Valdes F. Vitamin C. Actas Dermosifiliogr. 2006;97(9):557–568.
12. Fan AM, Kizer KW. Selenium. Nutritional, toxicologic, and clinical aspects. West J Med. 1990;153(2):160–167.