Although male-pattern hair loss isn’t helped by vitamin and mineral supplements, there are nutrients that can cause thinning hair or temporary hair loss in women if the nutrient levels are either too low or too high. It’s important for patients who believe they have such imbalances to get a medical diagnosis before excess supplementation. For those who suffer from these imbalances, adequate vitamin supplements may prove helpful in promoting hair growth.
Biotin
Biotin is usually classified with the B-vitamin complex, although it’s also referred to as Vitamin H. It is important for healthy hair and nails, among other things. One sign of a severe biotin deficiency is thinning hair.
Such deficiencies are rare and are caused by liver disease, prolonged intravenous feeding, over-consumption of raw egg whites and pregnancy, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. The current recommended U.S. recommended daily allowance (RDA) is 35 to 60 micrograms per day.
Iron
Anemia is a common cause of medical hair loss, especially in women. This can be due to poor diet and menstruation.
Dr. Wilma Bergfeld, with the Dermatological Research Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, says most females who are menstruating regularly have mild to severe iron-deficiency anemia.
Exceeding the daily recommended allowance of 18 milligrams isn’t generally recommended, but since vitamin C helps boost iron absorption, taking the two together may be helpful.
Selenium
Selenium is a trace element in the body, essential for its antioxidant properties, but it’s toxic at high levels.
One early symptom of this toxicity, or selenosis, is hair and nail brittleness and loss, which can happen after an intake of approximately 5 milligrams (or 5,000 micrograms) daily, according to the Linus Pauling Institute. The U.S. RDA is 55 micrograms per day.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A promotes the growth of healthy cells and tissue, including the scalp and hair. But either too little or too much of this vitamin can lead to hair loss, although the latter is seen more often by doctors.
Dr. Scott Frayser, found of Tulsa’s Hair Transplant Center, says more than 25,000 IU (international units) daily is toxic and can cause hair loss and other serious health problems. The RDA of Vitamin A is 5,000 IUs.
Vitamin D
A study at the Department of Dermatology in Haifa, Israel, found a direct correlation between rickets, a disease caused by a vitamin D deficiency, and hairless gene mutations.
Another study, published in the “Dermatology Online Journal” in February 2010, reported that the vitamin D receptor plays an important role in hair cycling, and treatments that regulate that receptor may be successful in treating hair disorders.
Deficiencies can occur in adults with intake less than 200 IU daily.
Zinc
In severe cases, zinc deficiencies can cause hair loss, especially in children. In one case from Kentucky that was written up in “Skinmed” in 2007, a young girl with unexplained hair loss tested negative for a variety of diseases.
When low levels of serum zinc were measured, she was given a 50 milligram zinc supplement daily, and within three weeks the hair loss stopped. The RDA for zinc in children varies according to age, but for adult men, it’s 11 milligrams, and for adult women, it’s 8 milligrams.
