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Can a Bad Diet Contribute to Hair Loss?- Monday, April 06, 2009

Question:

Today my girlfriend told me that she had read an article in some medical magazine (I don't know which one unfortunately) that a bad diet could contribute to hair loss. I personally would find such a claim to be a bit farfetched, and would assume that it must be the opinion of the doctor (or a very small group of doctors) who wrote the article (as we all know that hair loss is predetermined by your genes). But I would be interested to know if there is any truth to the claim. Like could a bad diet perhaps quicken up the predetermined hair loss?

Answer:

Though there is no relationship between genetic female hair loss or male pattern baldness and diet, extreme malnutrition can cause a temporary non-genetic diffuse hair loss (telogen effluvium). But this is rare and only usually occurs if your body is malnourished and doesn't get any of the nutrients it requires. Even though eating too much junk food isn't good for you, even foods that are bad for you typically contain many of the nutrients your body needs.

For your own health, I'd suggest minimizing the amount of junk food you eat however, unless you deprive your body of the nutrients it needs to survive, your hair won't be affected.

Bill (Falceros)
Associate Publisher/Editor