Hair Loss With a Vegan Diet?

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Hair Loss With a Vegan Diet?

by Anonymous

Question:
I followed a vegan diet for about six months and about 25% of my hair fell out. I was not eating vegan junk food but rather, loading up on veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds and legumes. In addition, I supplement with a vegan multivitamin, additional B-12, flax, etc. I've heard hair loss can occur due to weight loss or stress, but I was not overweight or stressed. Your thoughts?

Answer:
Hmmm. This is a puzzle to me. Many people who go vegan actually report the opposite-- thicker, fuller, healthier hair and nails. I would definitely recommend talking to a registered dietician or doctor for a better idea of why that might have happened.

I did some quick research and saw that sometimes zinc deficiency can cause hair loss. You get good amounts of zinc in beans, nuts, seeds, wheat bran, and wheat germ.

You said you took an extra vitamin B12 pill, so I would highly doubt that you had a deficiency there. Vitamin B12 can be found in nutritional yeast, tempeh, and other fortified dairy subsitutes.

Another thing I can think of is just making sure you had enough protein. If you ate a good amount of beans, whole grains, and whole vegetables, you should have had no problem getting enough protein.

The last thing I can think is that perhaps your body didn't feel like it was getting enough food. If you were not overweight before going vegan, you might have needed to compensate by eating more food than you did when nont vegan. Sometimes the body can perceive "stress" not just by external sources like overbearing bosses at work, but by internal things like not getting enough food.

I am going to ask for other readers to answer here if you have any ideas on why this person might have lost hair on a vegan diet.

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Hair Loss With a Vegan Diet?

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I've lost hair too
by: Nancy

Hi! Been 100% vegan for almost 2 months...feeling great! don't miss a thing...BUT I have noticed I am losing a lot more hair than usual and someone mentioned it was my diet....I eat beans, nuts, seeds, grains, veggies and fruites.....not a big one for substituing butter, meat, cheese ect ect for special occations....I take a b12 and biotin suplement twice a day ....any suggestions??? want to be healthy and leaner but not really wanting to be bald LOL thanks!

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hair loss solution and diet
by: hadassa

I was a vegan...I lost 30 % of my hair...that was a year and half ago..

I understood part of the reason why...SOY IS soy is for the human body and is AN ANTI-NUTRIENT period...I cannot say it enough..I see women in natural super markets, loading up on soy like I was doing..with almost no hair left on their head, and they are not even vegans...every time I tell them, as why their hair got so fine..the phytic acid in soy is one of the culpit not to mention the rest of solid medical studies that shows exactly as why soy is so bad..no wonder why so many Asians get almost bald when reaching their middle age and even b4 reaching middle age..that is a fact..If you don t want to get bald or almost bald, remove soy completely and read all labels on prepared foods if their is any soy flour, soy oils etc...Also, most grains, nuts , seed and beans and other starches do have that phytic acid..if a person does not soak those and prepare and cook properly those, they will become deficient s and loose their hair..so here it is, the truth shall set you free, i learned the hard way..Go on a paleo diet of 70 % raw food included for a while, until you grow back your hair..than transition to a OVO-LACTO vegetarian diet...so you can at least keep your hair on your head...

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here's my two cents...
by: Anonymous

i think there might be a connection between a sudden decrease in estrogen and hair loss. The typical american diet which obtains roughly 1/2 of the total calories from meat, dairy, and fats also contains considerable amounts of estrogens and estrogen promoting substances. ( google "estrogenic effects of meat" and "estrogen in milk" and "high fat diets and estrogen levels") with that being the case, it would make sense that a sudden dietary switch that cut out all of those things would likely result in a sudden dramatic drop in estrogen levels in some people, depending on their pre-vegan diet. there is well documented connection between hair loss and reduced estrogen levels. for those people who ate little meat (especially red meat) or dairy before going vegan hair loss may not be a concern but for those on the standard american diet they want to make the transition slowly perhaps by reducing their consumption of the problematic "foods" over a matter of weeks or months. This effect could also help explain some of the other negative physiologic experiences that people going vegan have reportedly experienced such as depression, menstrual irregularities, and psychological issues such as depression.

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Still a mystery!
by: Anonymous

Hi All, thanks for your continued efforts to help "shed" some light on this. My blood work came back fine, so it is more of a mystery than ever. I'm holding at about 95% vegan and want to see if the hair loss reverses itself. The writer who suggested coincidence may just be on to something; or perhaps it's related to going off several medications when I changed my diet. I have heard, as someone mentioned, that supplements like Biosil can help. Hope that by the next time I write in, my mop will be on the mend. Thanks again.

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Detox?
by: Anonymous

I've heard that a vegan diet can cause the body to go into detox mode, which can cause a lot of unpleasant symptoms before the body regulates itself. Perhaps this was the source of her problem? It does seem odd, because I've noticed a complete transformation for the better in everything about myself!

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hair vitamin
by: Donna

Add extra Biotin, a B vitamin that is included in many hair vitamin formulas. Take at least 5000 mcg.

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Thanks!
by: Anonymous

Thank you all for your comments. I went this week for blood work to check for any possible deficiency in vitamins, amino acids, etc. including a thyroid test. My nutritional doctor suggested I might need more taurine. Wish me luck! My heart is with the vegan approach, just hope my body can come along for the ride.

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Possible Causes of Hair Loss Besides Vegan Diet
by: Judith Kingsbury

I've heard from a few people that they experienced hair loss on a vegan diet, but I'm not sure if the two are related. I recently read that iodine deficiency can cause hair loss. Also Vit D deficiency. Hormonal imbalance or food allergies or low thyroid could also be possible causes. I've read that low thyroid condition can be aggravated by eating a lot of soy (e.g. on a vegan diet). There could be an allergic reaction to some new food in the diet. It looks like just about anything could cause hair loss. I think it would be a very good idea for this person to consult a medically qualified someone: e.g. doctor, nutritionist, dietitian, or allergist, and look at all possible causes - rather than groping in the dark. J. Kingsbury, savvyvegetarian.com

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Coincidence?
by: imvegan

Many folks go through body changes when they radically change their diets. I have never heard of hair loss, but bloating, lack of energy, cramping pain etc. are common complaints. I would give it a few more weeks to see if your body adapts. If it does not, it is probably not the diet so you should see your doctor. It may just be a coincidence that the hair loss began at the same time you changed your diet.

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© Copyright 2008-2012 Vegan-Nutritionista.com.

Disclaimer: Everything in this website is based upon information collected by Cathleen Woods, from a variety of sources. It is my opinion and is not intended as medical advice. It is recommended that you consult with a qualified health care professional before making a diet change.

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Hair Loss With a Vegan Diet?

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Hair Loss With a Vegan Diet?