Iron deficiency and hair loss. What is the connection between iron and hair loss? When
it comes to having a full head of hair and a healthy scalp, its important to understand all
the nutrients that are needed to support growth and regrowth for that matter. Hair thinning and
hair loss can be upsetting. It can affect your mood, confidence and overall sense of well being.
And while some hair thinning is expected as we get older, which is normal, there are other causes of
hair loss that can be stopped or reversed. In this video we will talk about what exactly is
the role of iron in hair, how iron deficiency causes hair thinning and hair loss, and the
types of hair loss it causes, as well as what to do to reverse it. So stay with me till the end.
And real quick guys, before we get started, it would mean the world to me if you hit the like
button for the youtube algorithm, and turn the bell on to stay up to date with new weekly videos.
Iron helps your body produce hemoglobin, which is a protein in your red blood cells. Doing so,
helps carry oxygen to your body’s cells, helping them grow and repair. And this
does include your hair. Your iron levels in particular can play a big part in how long,
strong and healthy your hair will grow.
But how does iron play a role in hair loss is the big question. You see, when you're deficient in
iron, that means your hemoglobin levels are low. Without enough hemoglobin, the hair follicle stem
cells lack the oxygen necessary to stimulate hair growth. And when the stem cells dont get enough
oxygen, it results in either male-pattern baldness in men and female-pattern baldness in women.
And according to the journal of american academy of dermatology: “Although this practice is not
evidence-based per se, we believe that treatment for hair loss is enhanced when iron deficiency,
with or without anemia, is treated. They say clearly that, Iron deficiency anemia should
be treated for hair loss. But Treating iron deficiency without anemia is controversial.”
Its controversial because of how the studies were conducted. This includes the study designs,
the methodology and the clinical condition, defining the hair loss. Because remember,
hair loss is multifactorial. Many things can cause hair loss. Its not just low iron levels.
But lets say if iron is low, for the sake of staying relevant to
this video. What causes hair loss assoicatd to iron deficiency anemia.
I made a video that talks about 7 signs of iron deficiency that
you should definitely watch after this video. It goes into a lot more depth.
But then, there are many other cases where people are prone to low iron levels. That I said I would
talk about in this video. These are some of them. With Candle burning, assuming they were
lead based candles which are horrible to breathe in and can impact your iron, and even excess tea
and coffee being some interesting causes of low iron. This is because Tea interferes with
non heme iron absorption, and its effects were looked at in this study. So if your drinking
many cups of tea a day and youre a vegetarian, you are said to be more prone to low iron.
But arguably one of the reasons why low iron can result in women,
is if you are avoiding heme iron in red meats and arent getting enough non heme
iron from vegetables. Heme iron is more bioavailable than non heme iron. Which
means you are going to need more food sources of non heme iron if you are vegetarian or vegan.
These include pumpkin seeds, black lentil, fava beans, and asparagus. I wouldnt really
even count spinach, since Only about 1.7% of the non-haem iron in spinach is absorbed
when we eat it. Its very negligible. ; Funny thing is that German chemists reinvestigating
the iron in Spinach had shown in the 1930s that the original workers had
put the decimal point in the wrong place. Spinach is no better for you than cabbage.
But if you want to increase your non heme iron, what we do know is that vitamin c,
like from your orange juice, can help. Something that popeye forgot to do.
But if you do eat meat, the best way to address this problem is to get two 4-ounce portions of red
meat per week. This small amount should be enough to maintain healthy levels of iron for most women.
Because remember, In premenopausal women, the most common causes of
iron deficiency anemia are menstrual blood loss and pregnancy. In men and postmenopausal women,
the most common causes of iron deficiency anemia are gastrointestinal blood loss and
malabsorption, having a hard time absorbing the iron from your food.
But so how does all this tie back to hair. We know that iron deficiency is linked,
who iron deficiency affects, and the foods to raise iron. But how does it tie back to hair?
Its a simple explanation really. Each hair follicle is on its own timeline as it goes through
the hair cycle. This is why the hair on your head doesnt fall out all at once. About 10-15% of your
hair follicles are right here, in the telogen phase. Its normal to lose 50-100 hairs a day, but
when we are in telogen phase, the hair loss can be increased, sometimes to 300 hairs a day. When the
body is subjected to extreme stress, as much as 70 percent of hair can enter the telogen phase early!
And begin to fall. We call this telogen effluvium. And Having low iron and ferritin is seen by the
body as extreme stress, which can push our hair folilciles into the telogen phase too early.
So what do we do to fix this. The very first thing is a confirmation of your current iron
levels. There is iron deficiency anemia, and non iron deficiency anemia. And its
important to know where you stand. Get a CBC, which is a complete blood count,
which will measure your hemoglobin and hematocrit. But to get an even better picture of your iron,
get a test that measures, serum iron, serum ferritin, and your transferrin levels.
Sometimes your doctor will also want to check your thyroid levels at the same time. If you have
a confirmed iron deficiency or iron deficiency anemia, taking iron supplements can help with your
hair loss. But if your iron levels are normal, you shouldn’t be taking any iron supplements.
Iron supplements won’t help hair growth if your iron levels are normal. Im going to say that
again, because i think it wont register the first time. Iron supplements won’t help hair growth
if your iron levels are normal. Excessive iron supplementation can cause iron overload and should
be avoided, especially in high-risk patients such as those with hereditary hemochromatosis.
So lets say you do have a confirmation of low iron which iron should you take. Sometimes your doctor
will prescribe you iron already, which if they did continue taking that as prescribed. But if youre
looking at iron supplements online, youll run into many forms of iron. You get ferrous sulfate,
ferrous gluconate, ferric citrate, and ferric sulfate. There are other types too,
like thornes ferrous bisglycinate. Which is NSF certified for sport. Ask your doctor if this form
will work for you first before purchasing, because there is some research that shows,
“ Ferrous bisglycinate shows some benefit over other iron supplements in increasing
hemoglobin concentration and reducing GI adverse events among pregnant women. Which you can find
in my thorne collection, which ive linked down below, its nsf certified for sport and better
than most brands out there because of thornes commitment to quality. Its ahead of the game.
There you can also shop my entire collection, as well as my top 3 favorite supplements.
Whatever version of iron supplements you take. There are about 8 tips that you should know. 1:
Iron is absorbed best on an empty stomach. But, sometimes they can make your stomach upset,
so if thats you, take a small amount of food to avoid this problem. Just nothing spicy or rich. 2:
Avoid milk and dairy products 2 hours before and 2 hours after to avoid calcium interfering
in the way of absorption. 3: Same goes for your calcium supplements, high fiber foods, kombucha,
coffee, tea or even antacids like TUMS. 4: Drink an 8 ounce glass of orange juice with
it to increase non-heme iron absorption. 5: If your stool color changes to green or dark black,
not to worry as this is normal. 6: There is some evidence for better absorption,
if you take your iron every other day vs everyday, so talk to your doctor to decide which is best. 7:
Avoid the EC-Coated versions or slow release iron supplements as their absorption can be
lower. And 8: Get Your Labs Checked twice a year, to see if you're on the right track.
And in terms of how long it will take to work, The good news is that hair loss caused by low
iron isn’t permanent. That's awesome. Once your iron levels are back to normal, your
hair follicles will move back from the telogen phase back into the active phase. But this won’t
happen right away. It depends on how low your levels were. It can take several months for your
body to rebuild its iron stores. Which means itll take time for your hair follicles to transition
back into the active phase. But You should notice less hair shedding within a few weeks of starting
iron therapy. Which is always nice. Wait at least three months and get
the same tests checked again to see where you are at. And how much your levels went
up and if the hair loss has slowed down. But im more curious to hear from you guys,
what are your thoughts on iron. Leave me them down below. I plan to make a complete video on
all the nutritional deficiencies that tie back to hair loss, if you want to see that video,
let me know in the comments below. And until then guys, ill see you on the next one.