Can Gut Issues Cause Hair Loss? - Ask a Nutritionist

Transcript:

Brandy: Hello and welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition's midweek segment called “Ask a Nutritionist”. My name is Brandy Buro and I'm a Licensed and Registered Dietitian here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. And today's topic is one that I get questions about all the time, and that's hair loss. So whether your hair is thinning or maybe you're noticing hair shedding in the shower or every time you comb it, or maybe you've even seen patches starting to appear out of nowhere.

Hair loss is more than just a cosmetic concern. Usually it's a sign that something deeper is going on, and yes, that something deeper is usually gut health and your digestion. So if you've been struggling with hair loss, your gut likely needs a little bit of attention. So today I am going to give you a little more background on why that is and help you pinpoint a few steps that you can take to get not only your hair health back on track, but also your gut health.

Factors that can influence hair loss

So let's start with the basics. Hair loss can be influenced by a lot of different factors. Could be hormonal imbalances, stress, nutrient deficiencies, autoimmune conditions, and even certain medications. A lot of those health conditions can often be traced back to issues with your gut health.

And if you'd like to learn a little bit more about the science behind all of those factors, I encourage you to listen to another episode that I recorded in February of 2024 called Boosting Your Hair Health. So that's where I review possible reasons for hair loss and the science behind how it's all connected to hair health. And some nutrition strategies to address them.

The gut health connection to hair loss

But today we are going to focus more on the gut health piece and how that's connected to hair loss and even some of these other factors. Because here's the deal, your hair is usually a reflection of your internal health, and your gut health is one area of health that can influence a lot of areas of health that can eventually influence your hair growth.

So when your hair starts to fall out or break off, it's usually your body's way of saying, hey, there's something wrong with your gut. And that's why as a dietitian, digestion, and gut health is usually my first stop when I'm working with a client who's struggling with hair loss. Nutrition and the food you eat is of course very important and plays a role in your hair health.

But if you are not digesting or absorbing those nutrients, it's not really going to do a lot of good in supporting healthy hair. So I think many of you have probably heard of the term leaky gut, gut permeability, or even gut dysbiosis. So that's what we're going to talk a little bit about today.

These are gut conditions that can interfere with how your body digests and absorb nutrients, but also plays a role in regulating inflammation and supporting immune function. And all of these areas of health are important for your hair health. So I just want to break it down a little bit more so that you can see how these connections are made, starting with nutrient absorption.

The importance of proper nutrient absorption

Your hair follicles need a steady supply of nutrients like protein. Protein is going to provide the building blocks of hair, but hair also requires iron, zinc, biotin, vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids. So if your gut is inflamed or your digestion is compromised, you may not be absorbing these nutrients very efficiently; even if you're eating a fairly healthy diet.

Clues there may be inflammation in the gut

So some clues that you may have inflammation in the gut or your digestion is compromised, could be chronic digestion issues like chronic diarrhea, uncomfortable bloating, chronic acid reflux or constipation, or maybe you've even had a diagnosis of something like ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, or SIBO.

One example that I always like to give some of my clients is that anemia, iron deficiency anemia, is one of the most common causes of hair thinning in women. And if you're not absorbing iron, it's usually a sign that you have low stomach acid or inflammation in the gut where you're not absorbing iron very well. And that can be leading to the anemia, which can lead to hair loss.

So it all comes back to the gut. And an unhealthy gut is also likely to cause systemic inflammation in the whole body, and that inflammation is something that can disrupt the growth of hair.

Inflammation disrupts hair growth

Your hair grows in cycles. So there's basically three phases of hair growth, the anagen phase or the growth phase, the catagen phase, which is kind of a transition phase. And then there's the telogen phase or the rest phase.

Inflammation can basically kind of accelerate hair through these phases much faster than it normally would and push it into the telogen phase, which is where the hair falls out.

So hair may not grow very long and it may fall out much faster than it should, which can cause thinning of hair, shorter hair, or you may even see patches of bald spots. And this is especially common in people with autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's or alopecia areata.

Both of these autoimmune conditions have strong ties to gut dysbiosis or even leaky gut. Something that often triggers the beginning of gut inflammation and chronic inflammation in the body is a disruption of our gut microbiome. We have trillions of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in our digestive tract that influence everything from our immune system to hormone metabolism.

When the balance of that beneficial bacteria compared to potentially harmful bacteria is thrown off track, this is when we start to see some of those digestive issues. We could also start getting sick more often. Our immune system is, compromised. We may experience more stress. We could have more challenges balancing our blood sugar.

It can even impact hormone balance and our body's ability to detox excess hormones. So each of these factors can contribute to different issues with hair loss, including the thinning or patchy loss, or maybe even hair falling out in clumps. So if you are seeing changes like this with your hair, just treating the symptom of hair loss is not likely to get you the results that you want. You really have to look a little bit deeper and see if there are some issues in your gut health that need attention.

How to know if the gut is playing a role in hair loss

So now you might be wondering, how do I know if my gut is playing a role in my hair loss? Well, I'm going to give you a few scenarios that could have led you down that path. Like I mentioned before, you could be experiencing chronic digestive issues like uncomfortable bloating, chronic acid reflux, constipation, diarrhea.

These are all clear signs that your gut needs a little help, or maybe you have a history of frequent use of antibiotics, or you need to take an antacid on a regular basis, or you take pain medications like ibuprofen on a daily basis. Or perhaps you've developed food sensitivities over the years that just kind of crop up; chronic stress, trauma, yo-yo dieting, restrictive dieting can all impact your gut health.

Other signs of poor gut health may show up things like chronic fatigue, skin issues like rashes, itching, even acne, brittle nails can be a sign of poor gut health. Even brain fog can be a sign of poor gut health. So if some of these things are resonating with you, your gut is definitely worth investigating a little bit more.

Gut healing basics

So what do we do about that? Well, here at Nutritional Weight & Wellness, we like to start with the basics of gut healing, and that starts with real food. So first we want to remove common inflammatory foods, starting with ultra processed foods, added sugar and alcohol, highly inflammatory, they're not going to help the situation.

And many people, especially a lot of the clients that I work with, also benefit from removing gluten and in some cases dairy as well. And then we focus on a real food, anti-inflammatory diet that provides enough high quality protein from meat, fish, and eggs, lots of vegetables and fruit, just for that good dose of fiber, antioxidants, and a lot of the micronutrients our hair needs, and then natural healing fats like olive oil, avocado, nuts, and seeds.

Working with a dietitian to develop the best meal plan for your personal needs can make a big difference, and depending on the person, I may also recommend a few therapeutic supplements to help support the healing process, and start rebalancing the microbiome.

Some individuals may benefit from something like a digestive enzyme, which can help digest and break down food, making it easier for our bodies to absorb nutrients from that food. This might be appropriate for somebody with low stomach acid or chronic acid reflux.

Oftentimes I'm discussing a probiotic with my clients, which can help reintroduce some of the beneficial bacteria into the microbiome, and I might often recommend additional healing supports like L-Glutamine, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids, maybe even collagen, which can all help repair the gut lining.

Healing your gut can be really challenging and it can be difficult to do on your own. There's really no one size fits all approach because we are all so unique and have different digestion concerns and different root causes of those issues. So I highly recommend getting the support of a dietitian to help figure out the best plan for you.

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Possible lab tests that may be considered

In some cases, I may recommend some lab tests to get a clear picture of what that issue might be and how to better target our strategies. Testing certain micronutrients can indicate if there's a deficiency in key nutrients or even a malabsorption issue.

I usually like to test iron or ferritin to test iron storage, vitamin B12 and vitamin D levels. I may also recommend a full thyroid panel that includes antibodies that can show us if somebody has under-functioning thyroid or potentially Hashimoto's disease, which is an autoimmune condition. It can also give us clues about a potential gluten sensitivity.

Hormone testing can show if there are hormonal imbalances that need some attention. I also like to look into blood sugar and insulin to assess for insulin resistance. In some cases, a stool analysis could be helpful to determine if there's an overgrowth of certain bacteria or certain pathogens or maybe even too little of certain species.

Stress negatively impacts gut microbiome

And of course, stress management is also very important. Stress negatively impacts your gut microbiome and it can interrupt the growth cycle of your hair. So taking time to really think about what are the best stress management tools for you and use them, use them regularly. For someone that might be meditation or maybe you prefer walking outdoors.

Many of my most successful clients are actually those that go to therapy regularly. Practicing self-care, get a regular massage or take a relaxing bath, deep breathing exercises, whatever is going to help you regulate your nervous system matters and makes a big difference in your hair health and your gut health.

Simple nutrition strategies that support gut & hair

So let's wrap up with a few simple nutrition strategies that support both your gut and your hair. And of course, we want to start with food. So we want to shift away from processed foods, shift away from added sugar, eliminate alcohol if you can, and start prioritizing protein. Protein is going to provide the amino acids that are the building block of hair.

High quality animal-based proteins like beef, fish, and eggs are also a very rich source of iron and vitamin B12, which are both essential for hair growth. Then we want to load up on plenty of colorful vegetables. Aim for variety, aim for volume. Plants provide the fiber that beneficial bacteria love to eat, and that's going to help keep our microbiome in balance.

And we also want to include foods that are naturally rich in zinc for that healing property; things like pumpkin seeds, shellfish, and beef are all great sources of zinc.

If you tolerate fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi, that can be a way to start reintroducing some of that beneficial bacteria. Bone broth is another great healing support. You can use bone broth in soups, everyday cooking. You could even just sip on it as part of your snack. Bone broth is going to provide a little bit of the l-glutamine and collagen, both of which can help heal the gut lining and support hair structure.

And of course, we want to drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated can prevent constipation, support natural detoxification, and hydrate all tissues of the body, including your hair. So here's the takeaway. Hair loss is never just about the hair. It's usually a symptom of something much deeper, and that often means your gut.

Your body's always trying to communicate with you, and when your hair is thinning or falling out, that might be your body's way of telling you that your gut needs some attention. So if you are struggling with hair loss and the topical medications or shampoos are not helping, dig a little bit deeper.

Take a look at your gut health and ask, is there some healing that needs to be done? And if you need some help getting started on your gut healing plan, we are here for you at Nutritional Weight & Wellness. Visit our website, weightandwellness.com for more resources or maybe enroll in one of our classes.

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You could even look into one-on-one nutrition counseling. In many cases, counseling is covered at no cost to you through certain insurance plans. So definitely check that out.

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And if this episode resonated with you, please share it with a friend or leave us a review so we can help even more people make the connection between what they eat and how they feel. And if you have a question that you'd like us to answer, just let us know. Join the Dishing Up Nutrition Facebook community and post your question there. Thanks so much for listening today and have a great day.

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