If Vegan Diet Causes Hair Loss?

One of the most pronounced trends is in veganism, not a new concept but its widespread adoption as a diet for health, animal rights and environmental reasons has continued ever more recently. Even though there are boundaries, such as a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer and other life-threatening conditions, some might worry about the drawbacks in changing to a vegan lifestyle one of which is hair loss.

Most Common Reasons For Hair Loss

Before we get into how a vegan diet could be impacting hair, it’s important that you know the root causes of hair loss. In reality, hair growth is a complicated procedure and many factors could go awry with it leading to the thinning of hair or balding.

• Nutritional Deficiencies: Hair is made up of mainly the protein keratin, and it requires a variety of vitamins and minerals for it to be produced. Hair follicles are weakened by lack of nutrients such as protein, iron, zinc also, biotin and vitamins B12 and D ​deficiency​s ensuring that hairloss may be in order.
• Hormone Changes: For the average person, hormones such as testosterone and its bi-product dihydrotestosterone (DHT) on a daily scale affect hair follicles. Conditions like androgenetic alopecia (pattern baldness), which affects men and women can be triggered by hormonal changes.
• Disease or stress, especially the kind that go with serious illnesses (thyroid diseases and auto immune diseases) and emotional trauma, can lead to a form of hair loss called telogen effluvium.
• Genetics: Unfortunately you may be fighting a losing battle against your family tree – if Grandpa and Dad were shiny on top, chances are so will you be.
• Lifestyle Factors — Lifestyle decisions such as smoking and poor diet can weaken hair follicles and cause hair to fall out.

Can Vegan Diet Make You Vulnearable Against Hair Loss?

Vegan Lifestyle: In the strictest sense, a vegan diet excludes meat, dairy (milk products), eggs and all other animal-derived ingredients. A properly planned vegan diet can cater to most of your nutritional needs for body and health but there are some crucial nutrients that are essential in maintaining the health of your hair.

This is how a vegan diet might cause loss of hair:

1. Protein Deficiency

The protein keratin is largely made up of hair. This is because animal products are loaded with complete proteins, which are a type of protein that contains all the essential amino acids required for hair growth. Compared to animal protein sources, only a very small number of plant proteins (quinoa and soy) contain all essential amino acids necessary for human life. Over time, this can result in thinning of hair if vegans are not consuming proper amounts of protein, or not consuming a variety of plant-based protein sources.

Solution: Vegans naturally require more focus on protein-rich plant based whole food sources such as lentils, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh and seitan etc combined with quinoa/grains and some plant-based protein powder. It is also helpful to combine different protein sources of plant origin within a 24-hour period — this will allow you to get all the essential amino acids.

2. Iron Deficiency (Anemia)

Iron is vital for carrying oxygen to the hair follicles, and if its levels fall short, your hair suffers. Non-heme iron from plants is less bioavailable than heme iron (iron from animal sources), so vegans have an increased risk of developing iron deficiency.

Solution: Vegans need to get Most of their Iron from plant foods like lentils, beans, spinach, quinoa, fortified cereals and pumpkin seeds. Moreover, iron absorption is improved with high vitamin C foods such as oranges, bell pepper and broccoli.

3. Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Vitamin B12 essential vitamin due to its importance in cell division and red blood cells that carry oxygen to hair follicles. The problem is that B12 is naturally sourced from animal products, thus vegans are drastically deficient in this nutrient. When the B12 levels are low, it can cause hair shedding along with fatigue and weakness.

Solution: Plant-based milks, breakfast cerials and nutritional yeast contain B12 that has been added artificially. We also recommend supplementing with a high-quality B12 vitamin.

4. Zinc Deficiency

The other vital mineral in hair growth is zinc, which helps support the health of hair follicles and plays a role spermidine is protein synthesis. Certain plant foods have phytates, which bind with zinc and prevent it from being absorbed; this means vegans are vulnerable to zinc deficiency stuffedmockingjay -> plight of the smug vegan

Solution: Vegans can devour meals excessive in zinc inclusive of pumpkin seeds, chickpeas, lentils and quinoa. You may be able to do these by reducing consumption of foods high in phytate, or soaking grains and legumes before eating them to lower the level of these acids, which in turn improves zinc absorption from your diet.

5. Omega-3 Fatty Acid Deficiency

Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Omega-3 fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are anti-inflammatory nutrients that also help to maintain scalp and hair health. These fats are mostly found in fatty fish, and less present in plant sources. Although the body can convert the ALA type of omega-3 found in flaxseeds, chia seeds and walnuts to EPA and DHA, this conversion rate is low.

Solution: Those of you who are vegan can have more ALA-rich foods like flaxseeds, chia seeds, and hemp seeds in the day, but it becomes necessary to take an algae-derived DHA/EPA supplement to keep your hair health progressing as expected.

6. Vitamin D Deficiency

Current evidence also supports a role of vitamin D in the regulation of hair follicle cycling, and reports suggest that low levels might be associated with alopecia areata. Vitamin D is found mainly in sunlight and fortified animal products, meaning vegans are more likely to fall short of what they need, especially those in areas with not much sun.

Solution: Reduce the risk of a vitamin B12 deficiency by consuming fortified foods like cereals, non-dairy milk, and orange juice and getting enough sunlight. You may also need a vitamin D supplement—choose one made from lichen if you are vegan, as it is vitamin D3 in this formulation.

Does This New Trend of Veganism Causing Hair Loss?

With veganism rising to prominence, it is possible that larger numbers of people may be going vegan without having the necessary information on how to adequately meet their nutritional requirements. Unfortunately, it also can mean more hair is being lost if people do not know some of their primary nutrients that are needed to protect their hair’s health.

But again, it’s important to stress that hair loss is not necessary on a vegan diet. As long as they eat a well-planned diet that meets their individual nutritional requirements, many vegans have healthy hair. Here, the risk of hair loss is mainly due to an improperly balanced vegan diet and not the vegan lifestyle per se.

Ways to Prevent Hair Loss on a Vegan Diet

If you follow a vegan diet or are interested in transitioning to plant-based diet here as some things to bear in mind so that you avoid nutrient deficiencies and have healthy hairrogen]:

1. Eat a Balanced Diet

For Vegans: To avoid hair loss, vegans must consume a balanced diet that is rich in whole foods. That also means getting enough fruits, vegetables, beans, grains and nuts/seeds — and prioritizing protein sources like these.

2. Supplement Wisely

Plant-based diets provide enough of all the other vitamins and minerals, but some vegan diets can lack certain nutrients and will require supplementation. The most frequent vegan supplements are:

Vitamin B12

Iron (if deficient)

vitamin D (especially if sun exposure is poor)

Omega-3s (from algae sources)

Zinc (if deficient)

3. Monitor Nutrient Levels

Blood tests are a good way to monitor your nutrient levels and catch any deficiencies before they become problems. Checking for iron, vitamin B12, zinc and Vitamin D can keep hair loss at bay and might avoid other health problems as well.

4. Hydrate and Manage Stress

Balance Overall health must be in balance to maintain the good condition of our hair. Hydration: Staying hydrated, stress control by practicing mindfulness techniques, and being active in general contribute to promoting the growth of healthy hair.

5. Speak to Your Doctor or Dietician

Worried about your hair falling out or confused about how to find the right balance for a vegan diet consult with a health professional or plant base dietician. They can support you in making the best diet choices based on your individual nutrition needs.

In other words, a vegan diet can lead to hair loss but only in the event nutrient needs are left unsatisfied via malnutrition or inadequate intake of vegan staples like soybeans and tofu. Well, that lies in understanding exactly which nutrients hair loves and providing them to your diet. As always, planning is key — vegans need to make sure they get the right amount of calories and nutrients in order to prevent hair loss while still sticking to their plant-based diets.

With the increasing number of vegans, it is very important that people know how to help their hair through a healthy diet. With some proactive measures, vegans can enjoy a wholesome plant-based diet and maintain strong healthy hair.