Nutrition & Hair

The Standard American Diet (SAD) typically consists of processed carbohydrates (grains, bread, cereal, pasta, cakes and cookies), dairy products, meats (usually processed), and a few fruits and veggies. Nutrition is the foundation of health, including hair health. Is there anything wrong with the Standard American Diet, and what can you do about it?

One major problem is that this diet is high in “nutrients” your body doesn’t need.

Most processed foods contain high fructose corn syrup (HFC), a sweetener that is so highly processed that some argue it should never be labeled “natural.” High fructose corn syrup raises the blood sugar levels very quickly, causing a “sugar rush” and temporary energy; then the blood sugar plummets. HFC may be linked to Type II Diabetes. HFC provides no nutrients, making it the “poster child” for empty calories. Read the packages at your local convenience store and grocery store to see how prevalent high fructose corn syrup is.

Hydrogenated fats are perfect for preserving packaged foods, increasing shelf life dramatically. But they are not perfect for your body, as they can contribute to weight gain. Avoid “hydrogenated” on food labels.

These processed, high-calorie foods are filling, taking the place of nutrient-dense foods such as fresh fruits, steamed and raw vegetables, cooked beans, unprocessed nuts, seeds, soy products, small quantities of lean, unprocessed meats, natural dairy products, and lightly-processed whole grains. If you cook at home for every meal, you can invest the time and energy into shopping for “real” foods, purchasing a juicer and a food processor, and preparing low-fat, healthy, high-nutrient meals. A good diet will benefit your entire body, including your hair, skin and nails.

People who live a busy lifestyle often have difficulty meeting these high nutrition standards. A few fast-food restaurants make a nod to natural foods, whole grains and vegetables, such as whole wheat, low-fat subway sandwiches with light condiments and “lite” salad selections. Some restaurants offer low-fat, high-vegetable dishes. Unsweetened fruit is a perfect dessert out, if you can find it!

Typically, restaurants want you to have a good experience and leave with a feeling of fullness. Oils are very filling and satisfying, so this is usually what restaurant food is drenched in. Fast food restaurants depend on heavily processed foods that are low in nutrients. The restaurant wants you feel you are getting your money’s worth, so portions are often much larger than needed.

A person “on the go,” who doesn’t have the opportunity to prepare whole grains, lean proteins and dairy, vegetables and fruits at home, should not be surprised when their body revolts due to lack of proper nutrients. A poor diet can contribute to hair loss.

“Healthy hair needs B vitamins, amino acids and specific minerals for protein synthesis,” Dr. Lawrence Shapiro, a hair transplant doctor in south Florida. Dr. Shapiro offers a line of convenient “Help Hair Vitamins” and “Help Hair Whey Protein Shakes” that were formulated specifically to provide these nutrients. These supplements are portable and nourishing, and have no negative side-effects. “Anyone experiencing hair loss needs an examination from a dermatologist to determine the cause,” said Dr. Shapiro. “Many cases of hair loss can be improved through proper diet and supplementation.”

The leading cause of male pattern baldness (which can also affect women) is believed to be the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (called DHT). Fortunately, there are promising studies which conclude that the natural plant extracts saw palmetto and beta-sitosterol decrease DHT levels.

Modern medications like minoxidil (Rogaine®) and finasteride (Propecia®) have been shown to inhibit the conversion of testosterone to DHT. But their reported side effects include fast heart rate, headaches, impotence, and decreased libido, as well as scalp irritation and unwanted facial hair in women.

As a natural alternative to these medications, in a study published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine in April 2002 (8:143–52), subjects with male pattern baldness were given either a placebo or a supplement containing 400 mg of a standardized extract of saw palmetto and 100 mg of beta-sitosterol per day. After about five months, hair growth in 60% of the men taking the herbal combination had improved.

In another study published in The Prostate in Mar 6 2007 (Wadsworth, Worstell, Greenberg, Roselli), mice were given one of two doses of Saw Palmetto extract, either 50 mg/kilogram/day or 300mg/kilogram/day for 3 or 6 months. At the conclusion of the trial, the mice who had received the equivalent of 300mg/kilogram/day had significantly reduced amounts of dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in their prostate tissue. In addition, their prostate tumors had been reduced in size.

Based on the above data, it seems that especially saw palmetto indeed does decrease DHT levels, if used persistently over a period of approximately 6 months. These findings are encouraging for millions of men and women with hair loss. Women of childbearing age are nevertheless warned not to use saw palmetto without medical supervision.

PABA, or para-aminobenzoic acid, is often used in supplements and products designed to help hair. Also known as vitamin B-5, PABA occurs naturally in foods such as liver, kidney, brewer’s yeast, eggs, molasses, and whole grains. Natural bacteria flora in the intestines also synthesize PABA.  Some health professionals do not consider PABA to be vitamin, but rather a B-complex factor, because PABA helps create folic acid in the body.

PABA is a common ingredient in topically-applied sun screens.  Taking PABA supplements orally does not have any sunscreen effects.

Red blood cell formation and the body’s manufacture of folic acid are partially thanks to PABA.  PABA improves the protein use in the body and also assists with the breakdown of protein. Proper functioning of these processes is important for healthy hair.

A deficiency in PABA can result in tiredness, irritability, patchy areas on the skin, weeping eczema and more.

Known as the “anti-grey hair vitamin,” research shows that PABA supplementation can improve hair health.

A study on animals showed that insufficient dietary PABA resulted in grey hair. Their hair reverted to its original color when sufficient PABA was given. Grey-haired adults in another study experienced a 70% return to their original hair color when taking large doses of PABA each day.  This was a controlled study under medical supervision, because excessive doses of PABA can have side-effects.

Typically, hair color can be restored with a B vitamin-rich diet. Even if color is not restored, the hair usually will have improved quality and growth strength.

PABA is best taken with other vitamins, including the B group vitamins and folic acid. Dermatologist Larry Shapiro, a hair transplant specialist in South Florida, includes 30 mg of PABA, 6 mcg of vitamin B12 and 400 mcg of folic acid in each serving of Dr. Shapiro’s Help Hair Whey Protein Shake Formula, plus other hair-helping nutrients. “I designed my shake specifically to target the hair’s nutritional needs,” said Dr. Shapiro. “Today’s diet often does not have all the nutrients needed for healthy hair.”

Sources:  Hair Science Institute, Wikipedia

Cholesterol lowering drugs such as statins can accelerate hair loss. Even drug companies admit to this. The possible reasons for this are: the lowering of hormones; the disruption of biological functions such as metabolism; and the distortion of the precise relationship of cholesterol and human hair needed for growth. Hormones are vital for hair growth and loss, so any imbalance can have far reaching consequences.
 
Why is it that as you age, there is an inverse relationship between cholesterol and steroid hormones? As you age, cholesterol levels increase and many hormones decrease. Can there be a connection between this inverse relationship?

The answer is yes, because as many steroid hormones decrease with age, your liver makes more cholesterol – the precursor to these hormones. One approach, instead of using statin drugs to lower cholesterol, is to use natural supplements to lower cholesterol, and use natural hormone replacement therapy to balance hormone levels. Natural hormone replacement therapy is determined by blood or saliva testing to customize the formula for your specific hormone needs. As hormone levels normalize, cholesterol levels will decrease correspondingly.
 
Cholesterol is needed for the synthesis of all steroid hormones such as: gluco-corticoids (blood sugar regulation), mineral-corticoids (mineral balance and blood pressure regulation), sex hormones (many functions), and is a precursor to pregnenolone – the master hormone. DHEA is another hormone vital for cardiovascular health

Cholesterol is vital for proper nerve functioning, brain functioning, shoring up damaged tissues, supporting cells, and maintaining good immunity. Statin drugs decrease the liver’s ability to make cholesterol by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase – the enzyme needed to also make CoQ10, which is needed to keep your heart and muscles strong.

The heart is a muscle and needs testosterone, but this is inhibited by statin drugs. Some patients on statin drugs have developed cardiomyopathy, a weak heart that is not able to work sufficiently for the needs of the body. Another possible side-effect of statin drugs is rhabdomyolysis, which is extreme muscle cell inflammation with rupture of the cell wall.

Your heart and the muscles need testosterone for proper functioning. Testosterone is needed to lower cholesterol as well as balance blood glucose levels by maintaining muscle mass. The more muscle and less fat a person has, the better insulin receptor site binding, which helps prevent Type II diabetes. The more stable the glucose levels, the lower the triglycerides will be and this keeps cholesterol levels down. The proper level of testosterone is needed for hair growth. Your body works as a whole. Just because a drug suppresses a symptom, it does not mean the condition is healed.

You can manage your cholesterol levels naturally, increase your hormones naturally, and both of these will do your hair good.

References:
Long term benefits of testosterone replacement therapy on angina threshold and atheroma in men study by Mathur, Malkin, Saeed, Muthusamy, Jones and Channer.

Harvey et al., Biochemistry: 3rd Edition, Baltimore: Lippincott, 2005, pp. 235-238.

“Reduction of protein synthesis and statin-induced cardiomyocyte cell death.” Rabkin SW, Lodha P, Kong JY. Cardiovasc Toxicol. 2007;7(1):1-9.

Biotin is your hair answer. We have been told that so much of our health depends on our genes. However, it is how we take care of our genes that control their expression.

Taking care of our genetic expression involves proper nutrition, diet, exercise, stress management, avoiding processed foods, eliminating toxins in the body, drinking filtered water, and limiting activities that add more emotional or physical stress. Can you overcome a genetic predisposition like baldness?

Vitamins, in particular B vitamins, are used to treat up to fifty genetic disorders according to an article by Dr. Bruce N. Ames in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. A genetic mutation reduces the ability of an enzyme to bind to its coenzyme; this decreases the rate at which a molecular reaction takes place. This can be reversed by using high doses of the appropriate vitamin, which increase coenzyme levels, thus overcoming the binding defect and boosting the reaction rate toward normal.

Biotin, a B vitamin also known as B7, plays an important role in the metabolism of fats, glucose, and protein. Biotin is used in hair growth and alopecia treatments.

Deficiency of biotin causes hair loss and brittle nails. Both hair and nails are by-products of healthy tissue formation such as bone. Biotin is used in the metabolism of fats, which gives rise to bone metabolism and is therefore vital for healthy hair and nails.

Fatty acids are a valuable growth factor in numerous processes in the body. Biotin is intimately involved with fat metabolism. Biotin is important for healthy hair and also seen as an aid in preventing hair from turning grey.

Besides taking biotin, you can increase your intestinal “friendly” bacteria such as Bifidobacterium bifidum to establish healthy intestinal flora that will produce biotin. Infants with biotin deficiency have grown hair utilizing biotin supplementation, as well as reversing many symptoms of biotin deficiency.

Our mind/body functions as whole unit. All part of the body communicate with all other parts. Thus, there are other vital factors that are involved in healthy hair growth. Exercise will not only improve cardiovascular health, but is now seen to promote brain health as well. Improving circulation through exercise and scalp massage improves blood flow to hair follicles. Also, healthy nutrition benefits all parts of the physiology.

Proper biotin supplementation and diet are key factors in having both healthy hair and scalp.

Sources:
1. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Bruce N Ames, Ilan Elson-Schwab and Eli A Silver. Vol. 75, No. 4, 616-658, April 2002.
2. Biotin deficiency in an infant fed with amino acid formula. Fujimoto W, Inaoki M, Fukui T, Inoue Y, Kuhara T. J Dermatol. 2005 Apr;32(4):256-61. Review.