Vitamins for Hair Loss and Food for Hair Growth Naturally

vitamin for hair loss

Are you suffering from rapid hair loss? What do you think about the possible causes? Why are vitamins so important in taking care of your hair growth? There are so many questions that come to your mind the minute you think about hair loss. What are the important vitamins for hair loss?

Loss of hair can be because of a lot of factors involved in your day-to-day routine. The type of food you eat every day, the lifestyle you lead, your sleeping cycle and so on. Hair loss of vitamin deficiency is one of the major causes that may ultimately lead to permanent baldness. If you are a workaholic, the constant struggle of beating stress can also result in rapid loss of hair.

Apart from lifestyle factors, there are many other secondary reasons for hair loss as well. If you are taking certain medications or having an illness, and even hormonal imbalances can lead to hair loss. Sometimes, the quality of hair degrades when you over-style them with different heating and curling equipment. Any of such primary or secondary factors can interfere with the cycle of hair growth and cuticle strength. Hair follicles may permanently lose the ability to produce new hair cells because of the gradual and substantial loss of keratin.

Keratin is the protein present in your hair cells that helps in providing nourishment and strength to your hair. It is a major protein involved in strengthening the growing bonds of between two hair cells. To facilitate enough keratin nourishment, you need to externally supply keratin through your diet or direct application on hair. On average, every day, you lose almost 120 to 150 strands of hair. The rate of hair growth per month is only by half an each approximately. You can do the math now!

How can biotin promote hair growth?

Biotin belongs to the family of vitamin B, specifically representing Vitamin B7. To convert various nutrients in your body into usable energy, you need biotin. As an essential factor, biotin significantly keeps a check on your hair health, nails and skin. When your body does not have enough biotin, you often face problems associated with your hair or a skin rash.

As you know that keratin is the key protein present in your skin, hair and nails, biotin improves keratin structure. Deficiency of biotin is quite a rare phenomenon. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you are most likely to have higher levels of biotin in your body.

Apart from improving your hair growth, biotin offers several other health benefits. Since biotin is from vitamin B family, it supports an overall healthy metabolism like many other members of the family. When you consume carbohydrates, biotin helps in the conversion of glucose from the consumed carbs. During the process, a voluminous amount of ATP releases within your body cells that provide energy for a bodywork function. Biotin also promotes the functioning of amino acids (building units of protein) in carrying out normal biological functions.

Other potential benefits of biotin

  • Reducing inflammation.
  • Enhancing good cholesterol levels or HDL (high-density lipoprotein), and subsequently decreasing LDL (low-density lipoprotein) or bad cholesterol levels.
  • Improving cognitive function and overall mental health.
  • Lowering the level of glucose in the blood, which is specifically a boon when you are diabetic.

Foods rich in biotin

You can easily take supplements of biotin for hair loss or directly consume biotin-rich foods.

Egg yolks

If you want a bountiful of biotin, eggs are a powerhouse of vitamin B complexes, iron, phosphorus, and protein. The key protein present in eggs is albumin (white part of the egg). The yellow portion of egg yolk is the major source of vitamin B7 or biotin. An average-sized cooked egg weighing approximately 50 grams can offer you 10 mcg of vitamin B7. Therefore, eating egg yolks regularly gives 33 percent of the daily volume of biotin, as per recommended standards.

Legumes

Lentils, peas, and beans are excellent sources of fibre, proteins and several micronutrients. Amongst the lushest of legumes, soybeans and peanuts offer huge amounts of biotin. If you have approximately 28 grams of peanuts, it will give you 5 mcg of vitamin B7. The biotin level per ounce of peanuts is equivalent to 17 percent of DV. On the other hand, every 100 grams of soybean offers 19.3 mcg of vitamin B7. Biotin content in 3/4th cup of soybean is equal to 64 percent of the daily volume.

Sweet potato

Rich in vitamins, fibre and several minerals, sweet potatoes serve as a good source of many carotenoid antioxidants as well. Every half a cup of sweet potatoes (125 grams) contains 2.4 mcg of vitamin B7, covering 8 percent of DV.

Bananas

Power-packed with fibre, vitamin B complexes, potassium and copper, bananas are a favourite of in the world of fitness. 105 grams of a small banana can offer 0.2 mcg of vitamin B7, equivalent to 1 percent of daily volume. Add bananas to your smoothies or eat as whole fruit for added health benefits.

Other natural sources of biotin

Avocado

You will mostly benefit yourself with a good supply of folic acid and ‘good’ fat (unsaturated fatty acids) from avocados. However, did you know that avocados contain quite a fair amount of biotin as well? One medium-sized avocado weighing approximately 200 grams can provide you with a minimum of 1.85 mcg of vitamin B7. The DV percentage of 200 grams of avocado is equivalent to 6.

Broccoli

As an extremely nutrient-rich vegetable, broccoli is full of vitamin A, C and B complexes, along with calcium and fibre. Half a cup of raw broccoli of 45 grams has 0.4 mcg of biotin, equal to 1 percent of DV.

Mushrooms

Not all fungi are as rich in nutrients and vitamins as edible mushrooms. To protect themselves from invading predators and parasites, mushrooms have high biotin content. The amount of biotin differs in fresh and canned button mushrooms. For every 120 grams (20 caps) of canned mushrooms, you get 2.6 mcg of vitamin B7. The DV of 120 grams of canned button mushrooms equals to 10 percent as per standards.

Whereas, just 70 grams of finely chopped button mushrooms (fresh) can give you 5.6 mcg of vitamin B7. The daily volume of 1 cup of fresh button mushrooms is high by 19 percent.

Seeds and nuts

There are a variety of options in mixed seeds and nuts, as they provide ample fibre, proteins and unsaturated fat. However, the amount of biotin typically varies from type to type. 20 grams (1/4th of a cup) of sunflower seeds has 2.6 mcg of vitamin B7, covering 10 percent of DV. Similarly, 1/4th cup of roasted almonds (30 grams) will offer 1.5 mcg of biotin, equalling to 5 percent of DV.

Can yeast and beef liver provide enough biotin?

Are you fond of brews and leaven bread? If so, then nutritional yeasts can come really handy is being a good natural source of biotin. Nutritional yeasts are the ones that you mostly add in non-dairy products. The amount of biotin every 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast (approximately 16 grams) is as high as 21 mcg. The DV of biotin in nutritional yeast is almost 69 percent per 16 grams, which is not a matter of joke! You can add them to your bread and enjoy natural biotin without any synthetic supplements. On the contrary, dry activated yeast also offers biotin but not as high as nutritional yeast. For every 7 grams of dry yeast, 1.4 mcg of vitamin B7 that equals to 5 percent of the DV.

If you are open to nonveg protein foods, beef liver is extremely high in biotin content. Scientifically it makes complete sense, as most of your body’s biotin is present in the liver. Approximately 3 ounces of cooked beef liver (75 grams) contains a rich volume of biotin equalling to 138 mcg. The DV of just 75 grams of beef liver is a whopping spike by 460 percent! Now, you will not think twice before ordering yourself a beef liver patty or a burger.

Vitamins for hair loss diet

While selecting the right kinds of food, supplement enough vitamins for hair loss in your diet. The deficiency of vitamin B7 (biotin), vitamin B3 (Niacin), vitamin C and some essential minerals can contribute to hair loss. Essential minerals mostly include iron and zinc, which serve as crucial nutrients for healthy hair growth and proper strengthening.

If you have undergone any serious medical treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy or strong medications, there can be consequences. It is natural to experience hair loss following the process, as such therapies have a strong impact on your body.

Following a healthy diet that supports the growth of hair can be a useful way to get back your lost beauty. Supply your daily diet with ample vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, copper, biotin, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, sodium, iron, and sulphur. Apart from Vitamin E, concentrate on other vitamins like A, C, K, D and other B complexes. Try eating foods that can naturally supply your body with essential vitamins and minerals, rather than synthetic diet supplements.

Risks associated with biotin-rich diet

Generally, you do not suffer from serious health hazards on consuming high levels of biotin. However, the entire discussion depends on what form of biotin you are taking- whether it is the natural or synthetic source. Synthetic supplements may have associated health risks on the regulation of its dosage, provided that you are under expert supervision. The extent of risks largely depends on your biological makeup, immune level and tolerance factor. To be on the safer side, it is always better to go for natural sources than artificial ones. As far as your health is concerned, following a biotin-dense diet from veggies will give slow but less risky results.

Biotin itself does not inflict any serious consequences, but you should see a doctor if you’re already under any medication. You should not go through any hormonal imbalance because of persisting medicines and a vitamin-rich diet. Ask your doctor for potential health risks, depending on your medical history, allergies and other health drawbacks. Vitamin B7 belongs to the family of water-soluble vitamins for hair loss. So, any excess of biotin remaining in your body will automatically flush out of your system via urination. However, it does not completely ignore the fact that an overdose can be potentially harmful. While considering vitamins for hair loss, you should know which vitamins you are allergic to. As there are many options of vitamins than just biotin for hair growth, the doctor may suggest an alternative.

Can pills help in hair growth?

There are multiple hair growth pills that actually work, but you need to be careful about the dosage. You might think that the greater the number of pills you take, the more powerful will be your hair growth. However, such a notion is a huge misconception. Nothing in excess can come out as beneficial. Do not monitor the pills on your own, as doubling on the pill dose can prove to be extremely harmful.

Some of the vitamins for hair loss pills can release out of your system through urination. Have you wondered what happens to the rest of it? Does your body entirely absorb the remaining portion of vitamin or mineral content from the pills? The answer is NO. Your body only absorbs the required part of vitamins, whereas the excess amount accumulates within cells and increases toxicity level. Thus, take professional help to administer the pill dosage appropriately and prevent any toxic build-up in your body.

In most of the hair loss pills, you will find an ingredient by the name of Minoxidil. It helps in rapid hair growth when taken in the right percentage. To experience hair growth results with Minoxidil, you need to be very consistent. You cannot skip a day without proper advice from a hair expert on when and where you need to stop.

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