Can your diet cause hair loss?
Changes in diet can sometimes lead to hair lossBy Tara Parker-Pope, The Wall Street Journal
Dieters hoping to lose weight are discovering they're losing something else -- their hair.
The little-talked-about secret of the dieting industry is that a successful diet can also trigger hair loss. As Americans struggle with obesity and tackle countless fad diets, some dermatologists say they are increasingly hearing complaints from perplexed dieters about thinning hair.
After Esther Sokol, a New York City records manager, lost nine pounds on the Atkins diet a few years ago, her hairdresser noticed her usually thick hair was beginning to thin. It was only after talking with doctors and hair experts that she learned her diet was the likely culprit.
"Diet was the only major change I'd made," says Ms. Sokol.
Hair loss can be triggered by a variety of factors including pregnancy, stress, surgery and age-related hormonal changes, to name a few. But few people realize that weight loss can also cause hair to shed, likely due to a nutritional deficiency. Although iron deficiency is often associated with diet-related hair loss, a range of nutrient deficiencies can result in thinning hair, dermatologists say. Changes in levels of zinc, magnesium, protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins D, B and A can all trigger episodes of shedding hair. The problem affects both men and women, but women are more likely to notice it and seek treatment, say doctors.
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