For women, hair is often a defining point in personal style and self image. This is why so many women panic at even the thought of a few hairs down the drain with each shampoo. Hair loss affects 30 million women in the US. Hair grows about half an inch a month, lasting 2-6 years, then it falls out. A new strand grows from the old follicle. Female pattern hair loss differs from men. It is typically diffuse around the top of the whole head. It can be temporary or permanent.
Hair loss can be caused by a number of underlying conditions: hormonal imbalance, nutritional deficiencies, polycystic ovaries, autoimmune disorders, thyroid insufficiency, chronic illness, certain medications (like high androgenic birth control pills and antacids), trauma and stress, crash dieting, and childbirth. Iron deficiency has a much closer link to hair loss than most doctors realize. In one study, 72% of premenopausal women were found to have iron deficiency as the cause of hair loss. You can be iron deficient in the absence of clinical anemia. There are a number of reasons why the amount of iron absorbed is not sufficient. Only about 10% of ingested iron is absorbed and is dependent on the type of food in the diet. Certain foods may inhibit the absorbtion of iron, such as tea and coffee, bran and egg whites. Vitamin C enhances the absorbtion of iron.
Since hair loss in women can be triggered by a multitude of conditions and circumstances, the diagnosis is often made by the process of elimination. Diagnostic tests include: hormones (estradiol, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-s, DHT), serum iron and ferritin, complete blood count, Thyroid (TSH, free T3 and T4). Unless you are diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, you should not take iron supplements.
Foods rich in iron includes, tofu, lentils, beans, spinach, prunes, raisins, shellfish, egg yolks, nuts, citrus, and yes, lean beef. Avoid tea until an hour after eating as it contains tannins, which interferes with iron absorbtion.
No diffuse alopecia (thinning of hair) should be ignored. It can be an early manifestation of several underlying conditions. A lot of dermatologists may not agree that iron deficiency could be a major cause of hair loss, however, most of them don't deny that it is an important contributing factor. Hair loss treatments may not work efficiently with low iron stores. Whatever the cause of hair loss, iron deficiency makes it worse.
If hair loss is a concern for you, let us know and we can order tests to check out some of these deficiencies and your Iron stores.
This information is for educational purposes only, and is not intended to treat or diagnose any health condition.