There are many reasons for hair loss, which is a common problem nowadays. Insufficient nutrients may also cause hair loss. However, with the right treatment, both iron deficiency and hair loss can be prevented.
When there is inadequate iron in our body, it cannot produce haemoglobin in your blood. Haemoglobin carries the oxygen for the growth and repair of cells in our body, including cells that help your hair grow. Therefore, your hair does not grow in a healthy way.
There are many essential roles of iron in the body, such as oxygen supply to blood cells and muscle cells. Many people do not know that iron is also an important factor in hair growth and healthy development.
Hair loss caused by the iron deficiency may be similar to the well-known male- or female-type hair loss. Iron deficiency plays an active role in hair loss.
Can You Treat Iron Deficiency and Hair Loss?
Most hair loss caused by iron deficiency is not permanent. The best option to treat hair loss is to find out the underlying cause of hair loss. If your hair loss is caused by iron deficiency, you should consult a doctor to have your iron level measured. Your doctor will probably want a blood test that will measure your ferritin level. Ferritin is a protein that stores iron in your body.
If your test results show low levels of iron, you can easily treat it with iron supplementation. As a side effect of iron supplementation, you may experience some changes in your body. Therefore, tell your doctor if you are prone to stomach problems before starting treatment.
Once you are healthy, you should do the following to prevent possible hair loss in the future:
- Prepare a healthy and balanced diet plan. Be sure to fill your plate with iron-rich greens such as spinach, peas, and dry fruits, along with lean protein foods such as pork and salmon.
- Besides, you should add foods high in vitamin C to your diet plan. Such nutrients allow our body to absorb iron more efficiently. Eat enough oranges, strawberries, melons, broccoli, and tomatoes.
- The best way to repair iron deposits is to consume red meats. Therefore, a high-nutrition diet containing sufficient protein and animal fats is necessary for you. In addition, overconsumption of tea, coffee, and other caffeinated beverages prevent iron from mixing into the blood. Therefore, pay attention to the consumption of such foods.
- On the other hand, the most efficient type of iron is iron carbonyl, which can be obtained from water-soluble, high-quality multimineral or iron supplements available in health food stores.
Once you follow these suggestions, you can observe that your hair loss problem begins to disappear. However, you should consume foods that contain iron carefully.
Excessive Iron
Excessive iron is harmful to the human body. You should consult your physician before taking iron supplements in order to avoid iron poisoning. Iron poisoning occurs when iron cannot be actively removed from the body. Iron from food is divided into heme and nonheme iron. Heme is the iron we obtain from animal food. Nonheme iron is of vegetable origin. You should consume both moderately to overcome iron deficiency.