Hair loss: Three seemingly healthy foods linked to ‘patchy’ baldness – ‘caution’ advised

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Because hair loss is heavily stigmatised, sufferers often see their social interactions impaired. But unfortunately, the biological mechanisms behind hair loss remain elusive, so there is not yet a cure for baldness. There are, however, ways to minimise the risk. According to one meta-analysis, three foods may be linked to a greater risk of several types of alopecia.

Nutrients we get from food are heavily implicated in the structure and growth of hair.

Deficiencies in vitamin D, for instance, is a known driver of hair loss. Overconsuming the food, however, could cause locks to shed in tufts.

The research published in the journal of Skin Appendage Disorders has previously explored the role of buckwheat and millet groats in frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA).

The authors of the meta-analysis wrote: “High mercury-rich fish consumption may trigger AA and TE, and high buckwheat and millet groats consumption were found to be associated with FFA in a study.”

READ MORE: Hair loss: Three ‘hair-care’ habits found to be ‘responsible’ for permanent hair loss

In FFA, shedding typically occurs along the front hairline, eyes brows, and eyelashes.

Presentations of the condition can sometimes extend to the skin, causing an eruption of facial papules.

Although the causes remain unknown, there is speculation that hormonal imbalance may be partially responsible.

In a body of research, 59 women with FFA were age-matched with healthy controls before having their dietary patterns compared and contrasted.

The results showed no statistical differences in their intake of several food groups, including meat, fish, vegetables, fruits and drinking coffee and alcohol.

One set of data that did stir concern, however, described participants’ intake of buckwheat and millet groats.

Results showed that a staggering 81 percent of women diagnosed with FFA had consumed buckwheat at least twice daily in the three months leading to the study, compared to 22 percent of women who hadn’t.

Similarly, 81.4 percent of women with FFA reported eating millet groats, compared to 8.4 percent of patients without FFA.

It should be noted that while the results are alarming, such studies have methodological challenges, and warrant confirmation from further research.

Nonetheless, similar results were produced in a study investigating the effects of fish intake on hair loss.

Researchers focussed on one case study looking at a 39-year-old peri-menopausal woman who develop diffuse alopecia with elevated levels of mercury.

The patient was asked to stop eating fish, and her symptoms improved after five months of cessation.

“Normalisation of hair growth [was] reported in an 18-month follow-up,” the authors noted.

The scientist went on to caution: “Though fish is regularly eaten in the Mediterranean diet, caution is recommended as two patients developed alopecia from Hg intoxication due to high levels of tuna and other mercury-rich fish consumption.”

Though the review has its limitations, the therapeutic role of diets in hair loss warrants larger-scale studies to elucidate the effects of high buckwheat, groat millet and fish intake on hair loss.

Further research may also help shed light on the dietary agents that could promote hair growth and protect against varying types of alopecia.

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