There is a lot of talk about sugar today. In short, most doctors and researchers believe that sugar is not good for you for many reasons. We know that for many years, sugar seemed better than eating fats, and to some degree, that is true depending on the type of fat. Yet, what we know now is that sugar, especially the refined products found in everything from white bread to soda, is very bad for your body in many ways. In some cases, it may even play a role in hair loss and hair thinning. Do you experience hair loss and consume a large amount of sugar? How are the two related?
What Your Hair Needs to Grow
One of the reasons why you should not eat sugar-based products is because of the impact they have on your diet overall. Eating sugar may mean, for example, that you are not taking in enough of the other nutrients your body needs, including the nutrients your body’s cells need to function at their best. This is very true for your hair. If you are consuming a lot of sugar and other empty calorie foods – all those foods that lack any real nutrients in them – you are not taking in the nutrient-rich food your hair needs to grow and to look its best.
What does your hair need, then? Your hair benefits from a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. The more color you take in, the better it will be for your hair. Specifically, your hair needs foods that are rich in:
- Zinc
- Iron
- Vitamin D
- B Vitamins
- Magnesium
- Omega 3s
- Antioxidants
If you do not have these foods in your diet, the cells in your hair follicles responsible for hair growth cannot work properly. Your hair falls out and does not grow back as it should.
Is Your Hair Breaking?
One way to tell if this is the problem, at least a part of it, is to consider the condition of your hair. As noted, not having a lot of nutrients like this can cause thinning hair. Does your hair also seem to be breaking? Perhaps you notice that it looks dull or simply frays instead of growing long enough. These are signs of conditions such as Vitamin D, Vitamin B deficiencies, and anemia, which is brought on by a lack of iron in the body.
Consider the Hormones, Too
There is also the impact that sugar creates on your body that can cause imbalances in hair growth. When you consume large amounts of carbs, including sugars from breads, pasta, and candy, your body’s bloodstream cannot properly use that sugar. For some people, this can lead to the development of diabetes over the long term. For all, it creates an imbalance of hormones in the bloodstream.
Hormones control every aspect of your body’s function. If your hormones are not balanced, then the cells cannot work because those hormones tell them what to do. This is a bit of a simplistic view, but what’s important here is to see the relationship between what you eat and what it does to your body. If you are eating poor nutrient foods, especially those high in sugar, it can cause your blood sugar to be out of reach. That taxes your body and also makes it hard for hormones to remain balanced. It can even worsen because your weight may become out of control as well, further worsening your health and your hormone balance.
What Can You Do?
Your first step should be to speak with your doctor about your body’s nutrient level. This, along with a blood work analysis, can offer some insight into what may be occurring. Your doctor can take this information and offer advice to you about how to make changes. Improving your diet by eliminating sugar foods of all types is a good step to take right away. Instead, replace the processed sugar with a larger range of fruits and vegetables. This simple step can improve your health and also may help to reestablish your healthy hair along with the process. This could be a sign; it is time to make some diet changes.
Contact the hair specialists at Unique Hair Concepts to learn more.
