Hair loss in women is often considered by the medical profession as neither serious nor life threatening.
However, to the sufferer it can cause a great deal of distress.
Although there are several causes for increased hair shedding (genetic, hormonal, diet, stress, etc.
), many hair loss complaints seen in women are caused by low iron stores (called ferritin).
Through investigations of blood levels in women with and without hair loss, it has been known for many years that nutrition plays an important role in hair growth.
In particular, it has been found that there is a strong correlation between hair loss and low iron stores as a large proportion of women reporting hair loss have low ferritin levels, compared with the levels generally found in women without hair loss.
In fact, it was the serum ferritin level that was linked with hair loss, rather than the hemoglobin level.
Serum ferritin is a measure of the total iron stores in the body, whilst the hemoglobin level measures the amount of iron circulating in red blood cells.
Low hemoglobin levels can indicate anemia.
Therefore, it is possible to have a low serum ferritin level and not be anemic.
This is because the body tries to maintain a good hemoglobin level, drawing iron from its stores.
Further research has shown that if the iron deficiency is corrected and the serum ferritin level raised to a certain level, then hair growth will improve.
This leads to the growing phase (anagen) of the hair cycle to be lengthened so that there are more hairs growing at any one time.
This, in turn, leads to an increase in hair volume and a reduction in excessive shedding.
This improvement takes several months because the ferritin levels can only be raised gradually and once the correct level is reached and hair growth starts, it takes 2-3 months for the shedding to reduce and another 3-6 months for the new hair to reach a length that contributes to hair volume.
Whilst iron is usually the key factor, other nutrients can also play an essential role in hair growth.
Lysine (an essential amino acid), vitamin C, and vitamin B12 are sometimes required to help with the iron absorption.
NOTE: Talk to your physician or health care professional before taking iron, or any other dietary supplements.
However, to the sufferer it can cause a great deal of distress.
Although there are several causes for increased hair shedding (genetic, hormonal, diet, stress, etc.
), many hair loss complaints seen in women are caused by low iron stores (called ferritin).
Through investigations of blood levels in women with and without hair loss, it has been known for many years that nutrition plays an important role in hair growth.
In particular, it has been found that there is a strong correlation between hair loss and low iron stores as a large proportion of women reporting hair loss have low ferritin levels, compared with the levels generally found in women without hair loss.
In fact, it was the serum ferritin level that was linked with hair loss, rather than the hemoglobin level.
Serum ferritin is a measure of the total iron stores in the body, whilst the hemoglobin level measures the amount of iron circulating in red blood cells.
Low hemoglobin levels can indicate anemia.
Therefore, it is possible to have a low serum ferritin level and not be anemic.
This is because the body tries to maintain a good hemoglobin level, drawing iron from its stores.
Further research has shown that if the iron deficiency is corrected and the serum ferritin level raised to a certain level, then hair growth will improve.
This leads to the growing phase (anagen) of the hair cycle to be lengthened so that there are more hairs growing at any one time.
This, in turn, leads to an increase in hair volume and a reduction in excessive shedding.
This improvement takes several months because the ferritin levels can only be raised gradually and once the correct level is reached and hair growth starts, it takes 2-3 months for the shedding to reduce and another 3-6 months for the new hair to reach a length that contributes to hair volume.
Whilst iron is usually the key factor, other nutrients can also play an essential role in hair growth.
Lysine (an essential amino acid), vitamin C, and vitamin B12 are sometimes required to help with the iron absorption.
NOTE: Talk to your physician or health care professional before taking iron, or any other dietary supplements.
Source...