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Real Life Diet Questions Answered

Janet Aylott
Nutritionist

Posted 18 Jan 13

Could my hair loss been due to my weight loss?

Don't know if its related to losing weight or not. I have lost 4 stone over 6 months with NC so a sensible way of losing weight and I think by eating a balanced diet. I have noticed that I am losing a lot of hair, when I brush or wash my hair, a lot seems to come out. Could this be down to weight loss or something else? I feel healthier than ever, but its starting to worry me now as this has been happening for the last 8 weeks. My hairdresser says that my hair is thinner but nothing to worry about, no bald patches or anything but she can notice a difference as can I, she thinks it could be down to losing the weight which would equate to a 1/4 of my total body weight and that my body could of gone into shock. I feel a bit silly making an appointment with the Doctor so would welcome any ideas. Thank you

Our expert says...

Firstly I wanted to congratulate you on your amazing weight loss - losing 4 stone in 6 months is a fantastic achievement, and you should be very proud of yourself. Well done!

Now, hair loss can be a side effect of weight loss however we would normally only see this after someone has lost weight very rapidly, or having followed a faddy diet. Because you've done it gradually, and sensibly, and through a healthy diet, it is unusual for this to happen.

That said, the amount of weight you've lost is substantial, so it is possible that this is some sort of 'shock' reaction.

In order to try and stave off any further hair loss there are a couple of things you could do. The first is to just double check your diet (I'm sure you're already doing everything right but just worth a sense check!). Are you having 5 a day, getting plenty of protein, carbs, some healthy fats, enough calories, plenty of fluids? If the answer is yes, then that's great.

If your diet is looking good, then the other thing that might be worth a try is to take a multivitamin and mineral supplement. Maintaining a healthy intake of minerals like zinc and magnesium, as well as vitamins B, D and A can help to stave off hair loss. By taking a daily multivitamin, you will cover off any shortfalls you might be having from your reduced calorie diet. Just buy a supermarket own brand A-Z multivitamin/ mineral supplement - you don't need to spend a fortune.

Try this for a week or two and see if you're noticing any difference. If after this time, there is no change then I'm afraid I would recommend speaking to your GP just in case of any underlying medical issue you may have. Hopefully this will resolve itself with the couple of changes I've suggested, but please don't leave it too long to speak to someone should you feel it's getting worse or not improving.
 

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