Health Digest

The 4 Best Supplements For Hair Growth

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Deficiency of certain nutrients might increase hair loss and inhibit hair growth. People plagued by hair problems should not overlook the importance of diet and supplements in aiding hair growth.

Here are 4 nutrients that you do not want to overlook when tackling hair loss problems:

Biotin (Vitamin B7)

Biotin, also called Vitamin B7 supports hair growth. Deficiency of Vitamin B7 is a trigger for hair loss. Vitamin B7 is synthesized naturally by the bacteria living in our gut.

Eggs, sardine, legumes, beans, nuts, whole grains, bananas, mushrooms and cauliflower are common dietary sources of Vitamin B. Poor diet and digestive disorders might reduce biotin levels in the body, leading to poor hair growth.

Just like other Vitamin Bs, the body does not store extra biotin, and excess biotin is eliminated through urination. Therefore to treat hair loss, it is important to take biotin supplements daily to ensure a steady source of the nutrient.

Zinc

Biotin combined with zinc can help to prevent alopecia areata.

While biotin increases the availability of amino acids for building the hair shafts, zinc corrects hormonal imbalances that trigger hair loss. Nutritional complications developing after gastrointestinal surgery increase hair loss. During a study in Manchester, UK, researchers found that consuming 600mg of zinc helped to reverse hair loss in gastric bypass patients.

Oysters contain more zinc per serving than any other food, but red meat and poultry provide the majority of zinc in the American diet. Other good food sources include beans, nuts, certain types of seafood (such as crab and lobster), whole grains, fortified breakfast cereals, and dairy products.

Copper

Increasing zinc intake might increase the risk of copper deficiency as they share an inverse relationship.

This might suppress hair growth as copper works to inhibit activities of enzymes that aid conversion of testosterone into DHT, that triggers male pattern baldness.

Hence, people on zinc supplements should simultaneously consume copper supplement to balance the zinc/copper ratio in the body.

Oysters and other shellfish, whole grains, beans, nuts, potatoes, and organ meats (kidneys, liver) are also good sources of copper. Dark leafy greens, dried fruits such as prunes, cocoa, black pepper, and yeast are also sources of copper in the diet.

MSM

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) is an important component in the hair and skin. Hair growth can be promoted by consuming MSM supplements daily. The sulfur present in MSM plays an important role in the synthesis of keratin, the key component of hair shafts.

Rich sources of MSM include cow's milk, coffee, tomatoes, tea, Swiss chard, beer, alfalfa sprouts and corn.

The 4 Hair Loss Triggers

With such a huge variety of nutrients that you can consume to tackle your hair loss issues, you might be at a loss of where to begin. Why not begin with a better understanding of hair loss?

It was recently discovered that nearly all people experiencing some form of hair loss, including any kind of thinning, receding hairline, bald patches, dry, brittle, hair that breaks easily, all tend to make the same handful of mistakes that are responsible for triggering specific types of hair loss patterns.

These mistakes are called “hair loss triggers.” Once you discover and identify the trigger(s) affecting you, your hair problems will become a thing of the past. Click here to watch a video about hair loss triggers and the 3 immediately actionable steps you can do to counter them.