Originally published September 26 2005
Dieting may cause more than just weight loss; your hair could be next
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the best kept secret of the diet industry is that a successful diet may be accompanied by a range of nutritional deficiencies that can cause hair loss in some people, so doctors recommend dieters avoid quick fad diets.
The little-talked-about secret of the dieting industry is that a successful diet can also trigger hair loss.
As Americans struggle with obesity and tackle countless fad diets, some dermatologists say they are increasingly hearing complaints from perplexed dieters about thinning hair.
After Esther Sokol, a New York City records manager, lost nine pounds on the Atkins diet a few years ago, her hairdresser noticed her usually thick hair was beginning to thin.
Hair loss can be triggered by a variety of factors including pregnancy, stress, surgery and age-related hormonal changes, to name a few.
But few people realize that weight loss can also cause hair to shed, likely due to a nutritional deficiency.
Although iron deficiency is often associated with diet-related hair loss, a range of nutrient deficiencies can result in thinning hair, dermatologists say.
Changes in levels of zinc, magnesium, protein, essential fatty acids and vitamins D, B and A can all trigger episodes of shedding hair.
The problem affects both men and women, but women are more likely to notice it and seek treatment, say doctors.
The threat of thinning hair shouldn't discourage patients from losing weight, but it should convince them to avoid fad, quick-reduction diets, says Wilma Bergfeld, head of clinical research for the department of dermatology at the Cleveland Clinic.
Such diets often lack proper nutrition, and rapid weight loss in itself is a stress on the body and can also trigger metabolism changes that affect hair growth.
For hair health, doctors say the best weight-loss plans are reduced-calorie diets that promote gradual weight loss with healthful foods from all of the food groups.
A hair-shedding episode triggered by dieting may become a chronic problem if the dieter has a genetic predisposition for thinning hair, says Dr. Bergfeld and other doctors.
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