Hair Loss Iron Deficiency

Hair fall/loss is not just a problem for men. It exists equally in women and unlike the hereditary nature of hair loss in most men; the loss of hair in women is attributed to low levels of certain minerals and hormonal changes. But lets break the taboo here once and for all, women suffer from hair loss too.

But before I go for the gender divide let me clarify some other factors which are actually beyond our control and yet will invariably affect our hair issues. Hair loss may be attributed to many things like the deficiency of certain minerals, harsh shampoos or water quality. But other things which will determine to what degree we have the problem in the first place are Race and genes. Others will be our gender and any medication we use and how much stress we take.

Beyond all this however is of course what many consider to be the main reason for hair loss, particularly among women under 50, and that is iron deficiency. Research has proven time and time again that iron deficiency and hair loss have a connection. Iron deficiency known as anemia occurs in many forms and these forms are not all severe in the physical sense but they do impact our quality of life in some way. Often that way is small and so it is overlooked.

So how does iron tie up with hair? Well iron is the main pigment in red blood cells and is also responsible for creating new red blood cells (the life span of a red blood cell is 60 days) and also for the color pigment in our body. When new red blood cells are not being produced in sufficient numbers, there is a shortage of pigment and hair follicles become weaker. Thus hair breaks easily when we wash it or rub it dry with a towel. Or on those mornings when we're late for work, we and we tend to brush it a bit too hard.

It is precisely why some races have darker and stronger hair than others. An afro-American naturally has more iron in the blood and thus has thick hair that does not break as easily as Caucasian hair. So as far as women under 50 go, if you're losing hair and your period id normal, you want to look at your blood quantity.

The cure, well that's simple. After a quick trip to the doctor and testing the iron content of your blood, you need to spike your diet with, NATURAL sources of iron. Do not go for any unnatural unprocessed sources for iron and refrain from taking pills. Nature is bountiful in its store of iron. Go for fruits and green leafy vegetables. They are all rich in iron and you won't have to worry about your diet going off balance either. Another really delicious and my all time favorite source of iron is dried fruits. Meat is another source of iron with Fish being the richest I its content. So start a simple dose of iron today and it will start working miracles within the week.

• Janny Raines
• 28/01/2009, 2:59 PM
• 0 Comments