The lack of vitamins and nutrients in one’s daily diet can cause or contribute to male hair loss. Vitamins connected closely to hair growth are addressed in this article along with their Recommended Daily Allowances and examples of the vitamins natural food sources.
Vitamins for Thinning Hair in Men
Fortunately for men who are experiencing thinning hair, more treatments and options exist today than any time in the history of hair loss treatments. Included among those treatment options is vitamin therapy. Just as the overall body requires nutrients on a regular basis, hair follicles are fed the proteins and nutrients through our blood supply and can only be as healthy as the nutrients you provide in your daily diet.
There are a variety of vitamins that have shown to have an effect on male hair growth. Often male hair growth can be corrected in adjusting one’s deficiencies of a particular vitamin or nutrient. Or, for example, as in the case of taking too large a dosage of vitamins, such as 100,000 IU or more of vitamin A, they can contribute to hair loss.
Focusing on prevention, one of the most important vitamins in this area is considered to be folic acid.Folic acid can be found in foods including fortified breakfast cereals, beef liver, soybeans and nuts. Some men deficient in folic acid will become completely bald.
The U.S. RDA for folate is 400 micrograms daily.
Vitamin A promotes healthy cell growth around the hair follicles and prevents hair from becoming dry and brittle. Some of the natural sources of vitamin A include liver, cod liver oil (grandma was right), sweet potatoes, salads, eggs and organ meat. The RDA for vitamin A in adult males is 900 micrograms daily.
Because Vitamin E promotes healthy blood flow, it helps to ensure adequate blood circulation to the scalp. Food sources providing vitamin E include seeds, nuts, whole grains, fortified cereals, green leafy vegetables, soybean, canola, corn, broccoli and peaches. The RDA for adult males is 15 mg daily.
One of the roles of inositol is in in keeping hair follicles healthy at the cellular level. Available from both plant and animal sources, some of these sources are liver, brown rice, wheat germ, brewers yeast, bananas, oak flakes, vegetable, nuts and raisins. Recommended amounts of inositol are between 10-500 mg although there is no RDA for inositol. A diet low in inositol can also cause baldness.
Calcium promotes healthy hair growth along with preventing hair loss. Milk, yogurt, cheese, sardines, Chinese cabbage, kale, broccoli, fortified cereals and tofu are some of sources of calcium. Daily requirement of calcium for adult males is 1,000 mg.
Magnesium works together with calcium in promoting healthy hair and in boosting hair growth. Eating green vegetables, wheat germ, legumes, fish, whole grains, nuts and soybeans provides magnesium to one’s diet. Daily requirement of magnesium for adult males is 400 mg.
The B complex family of vitamins prevents hair loss, increases scalp circulation and helps produce melanin which gives hair its color. Some of the foods you can get B complex vitamins from include whole grain cereals, fortified cereals, beans, eggs, meat, poultry, fish, brewers yeast and some fruits and vegetables.
Zinc supplements have shown to increase hair growth while a diet deficient in zinc has shown to increase hair loss and cause dry hair. Hair protein structure changes when a person is not including adequate zinc in their diet. Some natural food sources to supply your body with zinc include oysters, red meat, poultry, beans, nuts, whole grains, dairy products and fortified breakfast cereals. RDA requirement for adult males is 11 mg.
Biotin was known in the past as vitamin H. Always included in any reputable Hair, Skin & Nail supplement, biotin’s role in the growth and maintenance of hair has been proven in helping hair grow along with preventing excessive hair loss and in preventing it from turning grey. Food sources for biotin include liver, egg yolk, green vegetables along with whole grains. RDA for adult males is 30 micrograms daily.
If you are including the suggested RDA for each food group in your daily diet, it may not be as necessary to take additional vitamins. Realistically, the odds are very high that you are not. When including supplements to provide adequate nutrition for your hair, remember vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat soluble and can accumulate in your body whereas the B complex and C vitamins are more easily excreted from your body. It can then be thought of as more important and safer to derive the fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K from your natural food sources.