Hair Loss and Thinning Can Be Caused by Protein Deficiency
The team at True & Dorin Medical Group has helped countless patients throughout the New York, New Jersey, and Boston areas have full heads of hair. We take great care treating different causes of hair loss and balding, tailoring each treatment to the needs of the patient.
Your diet can have a major impact on the health and fullness of your hair. With that in mind, let's consider why protein is so important for a full head of hair right now.
Why Protein Matters for Healthy Hair
Protein is crucial for good overall health and having a healthy head of hair as well. Both your hair and your nails are comprised of protein fibers, so it's crucial to have a diet rich in protein in order to ensure the health of both of these parts of the body.
Your hair has two different phases—a growing phase and a resting phase. If you do not eat enough protein, your body will make an adjustment in order to address this lack of protein. To preserve protein, more of your hair will wind up in the resting phase rather than the growing phase, resulting in hair loss or thinning over time.
Reasons Protein Deficiency May Occur
The most common cause of protein deficiency is typically a poor diet or malnutrition. Protein deficiency can be especially bad when someone is going on a crash diet, which changes the amount of calories consumed, the vitamins and minerals consumed, and the amount of protein intake overall. This is why it's always best to have a balanced diet, which keeps your body as healthy as possible.
Tips for Avoiding Protein Deficiency
In order to avoid protein deficiency, its important that you have a diet that's rich in foods that are high in protein. This includes meats as well as beans, eggs, and nuts. If you have food allergies or certain dietary restrictions, it's possible for you to consider different sources of protein for your diet.
Ideally you will want to have about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body mass. For the average adult male and female, this is roughly 45 to 55 grams of protein per day. Keep in mind that your protein needs may be higher if you lead a particularly active lifestyle.
This diet should be as balanced as possible since deficiencies in other essentials can result in hair thinning or hair loss. Patients may want to consider taking vitamins and other supplements as needed.
Treatment Options for Hair Loss
If you suffer from hair loss as a result of protein deficiency, the best option for treatment is to adjust your diet so that you receive the right amount of protein each day. Typically the lost hair will grow again by improving your diet and upping your protein intake to normal levels. If you need help with this, you can discuss your dietary needs with a dietician or your general practitioner.
It's very rare that hair restoration surgery or medications will be necessary to address hair loss caused by protein deficiency. If a patient does not regrow lost hair several months after improving his or her diet, treatment options can be discussed based on the patient's needs.
Contact Our Team of Hair Loss and Restoration Experts
For more information about your many options for hair restorations, be sure to contact our hair restoration specialists today. The team here at True & Dorin Medical Group look forward to your visit and helping you achieve a full and healthy head of hair.
