Gut Health and Hair Loss

As I mention and advocate in most of my posts, the gut is the centre of our health and vitality. When the gut is out of balance, it can manifest as symptoms of dis-ease or dysfunction in literally any area of the body, from our brain, internal organs, nervous system to our skin hormones and even our hair.

As a part of Holistic medicinal practice, we start to investigate which areas of the body this gut imbalance may be affected by observing where the abnormal symptoms are starting to or continue to develop.

Your hair health, including it’s lustre, thickness, density and amount or lack thereof, is definitely another area of the body that is majorly influenced when your gut health, specifically your gut microbiome, permeability and inflammation are concerned.

Here are some areas to look into and discuss with your holistic health practitioner if you feel your hair is in need of some extra help and attention.

Thyroid health – Both underactive thyroid function (hypothyroidism) and overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) affect the health of the hair. Hair loss is a common symptom of both of these thyroid issues and poor gut health due to poor microbiome diversity, leaky gut or inflammation may contribute to these symptoms when important minerals that support thyroid function such as iodine, selenium, zinc and iron are not absorbed well through the intestinal mucosa.

Gut Dysbiosis – An imbalance in gut microbiome, including low diversity of bacteria types, short chain fatty acid imbalances or overgrowth of pathogenic bacteria can compromise hair health and cause hair loss and poor hair quality due to lack of nutrient absorption. Poor microbiome can cause a deficiency of the vitamin Biotin which is an important nutrient for hair growth. Overgrowing yeast in the gut can also compete with the absorption of the mineral iron in the body. Iron deficiency is also commonly associated with hair loss.

Leaky Gut – which can be caused by numerous factors (ask me how), can also contribute to hair loss by means of leaching absorption of the all-important mineral zinc, and silica, which are both vital for keeping the hair on your head and growing strong. A leaky gut can also add more burden to liver detoxification phases which in turn can impact your sex hormones and stress hormones; disrupted hormone balances can also negatively affect your hair growth and health.

Gut inflammation- Chronic gut inflammation such as the case in IBD and the associated symptoms of these inflammatory conditions including constipation, diarrhoea, bleeding, malabsorption, poor appetite, abdominal cramping, inflamed gut lining, leaky gut, food allergy / sensitivities etc can be the underlying cause of nutrient deficiencies that are vital to the growth of hair. Important micronutrients such as iron, biotin, silica, zinc and vitamin B12 can be heavily compromised due to lack of absorption in the presence of inflammation, and protein which forms the building block for keratin formation in the hair is also compromised when chronic inflammation affects the gut lining. Protein deficiency can cause hair to fall out or break easily.

When you consider some of these gut health influencers that can negatively impact your hair health, it is clear that a holistic view of your symptoms can benefit your hair loss treatment more greatly than simply taking a one-size-fits-all “hair growth pill” which may, or may not be the answer for you as an individual.

One of the best places to start if you want to prevent hair loss or improve your hair quality is to investigate your gut health! Just like the rest of the body, “all disease begins in the gut” so to begin to see improvement in your hair, start by looking at your gut as well!

Contact me for help with investigating your gut microbiome diversity, leaky gut, thyroid issues, hormone imbalances, food sensitivities or gut inflammation and we can get started sooner than later.

In health and gut love

Deena x