What Are The Essential Nutrients for Hair Growth?

Malnutrition or deficiency of essential vitamins and minerals is one of the most prominent reasons for hair loss. The other key factors include diseases, medications, and infections.

Your scalp needs adequate blood supply and supply of vitamins to keep your hair healthy. Hair has its life cycle. If you do not take care of your hair properly, your hair becomes prone to hair loss, dryness and also graying prematurely. In addition to this, sometimes your hair may become thin, brittle and eventually fall out. But, don’t worry there is surely a way to keep your hair lustrous, smooth, oily and strong with a well-balanced diet which is rich in all the vital nutrients that are essential.

Essential vitamins for hair growth

When you intake the vital nutrients rich diet or supplement the vital nutrients, you can optimize your hair growth, reduce hair loss and strengthen your existing hair.

Hence check out following essential nutrients for hair growth:

Proteins

Protein is known as the building block of cells in the human body. Protein is made up of amino acids essential for building of new cells, including hair cells. amino acid tablets for hair growth are building blocks of proteins. Amino acids are important for the health and condition of  your hair. The five amino acids for hair growth are:

• Methionine
• Cysteine
• Cystine
• Lysine
• Arginine

The hair needs these amino acids follicles through the blood stream, because 80 percent of hair consists of proteins. Your body uses protein to make keratin, a major component of the hair strand. The cells of the hair follicles are some of the fastest growing cells in the body; therefore, they need continuous supply of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and energy.

Good balance of amino acids for hair growth in your diet for hair growth helps prevent premature graying and hair loss. Lack of amino acids, particularly the essential ones may make the hair follicles less efficient to produce the vital hair fiber.

Methionine:

The amino acids cysteine and methionine form keratin along with other fibrous proteins. Methionine is an essential amino acid to be obtained from external sources. Both cysteine lysine arginine and methionine are necessary for forming hair shaft.

Cysteine:

Supports hair texture and growth.

Cystine:

It is essential for the formation of  hair and skin.

Lysine:

L-lysine present in protein is a hair growth food which prevents hair loss and encourages regrowth of hair follicles.

Arginine:

Arginine being a semi-essential amino acid tablets for hair growth plays an essential role of producing nitric oxide, which helps in relaxation of blood vessels known as vasodilation. Because of this particular property of arginine, blood flow in the capillaries carrying blood to the hair follicles increases. Arginine stimulates the production of proteins.

So make sure you have an adequate amount of proteins from your daily diet. Major sources of protein are your dairy products like milk, paneer, tofu, yogurt, your dals and pulses like tur, moong, beans, fish, cashewnuts, etc.

Vitamins

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E improves immune function and thus improves the health of the hair. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant as it protects the scalp from disease causing germs and their toxins by blocking their growth.

Hair infections and the infections of the scalp prevent hair growth. Vitamin E increases blood circulation to the hair follicles by increasing the oxygen supply to them.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C improves the blood circulation of the scalp by improving blood capillaries that carry blood to the scalp and hair follicles. Being a powerful antioxidant, vitamin C protects your scalp from free radicals.

In addition to this, it also helps in your hair regrowth, heals damaged hair and augments the condition of hair.

Niacin-amide (Vitamin B3):

Stimulates hair growth by the regulation of blood circulation in the skin and activates the oxygen transport to hair follicles.

Calcium Pantothenate

 Calcium pantothenate increases water content and elasticity of your hair.

Biotin

Biotin is a proven hair growth vitamin and helps in repair and growth of damaged hair by stimulating the hair follicles. The conditions like thin hair, dry and splitting of hair can be reversed by including biotin rich supplements for hair growth in your diet. Evidence-based research conducted by the University of Maryland Medical Centre concludes that biotin can help improve the condition of dry, brittle and splitting hair.

Folic Acid (Vitamin B9)

Deficiency of folic acid leads to hair loss & premature graying. Folic acid is essential for the growth of hair because its deficiency may result in hair loss and premature graying of hair.

With other B vitamins, folic acid plays a vital role in turning the food into energy and also helps in brain function. Folic acid helps in the division of the cells found in hair follicles and promotes the regulation of healthy hair.

Minerals

Copper: Improves the nutrient flow from the blood to hair follicles and rebuilds capillaries around the follicles. Copper enhances melanin pigment production for gray hair prevention and reversal and inhibits DHT, the hormone that causes alopecia.

Copper repairs scalp damage due to chemical and thermal processing, which leads to hair thinning over time.

Selenium: Selenium supports healthy immune system and thyroid function and helps in proper hair growth by acting as an antioxidant.

Selenium works synergistically with other vitamins and minerals to promote hair growth. Selenium makes available a protein our body needs to produce hair.

Manganese: Manganese and Iron work synergistically. Manganese restores hair growth.

Iron: Iron increases circulation in the scalp, which fuels hair growth. Deficiency of this vital nutrient is often associated with hair loss as the research done by Dr Hugh Rushton concludes that women with hair loss showed a deficiency in Iron (2002, UOP). The combination of iron and folic acid supplement can be very effective in this regard especially a must for pregnant ladies.

Magnesium: It is an essential element in the formation of hair pigment and hair growth. It should be in balance proportions with calcium to prevent excessive hair loss.

Zinc: Zinc is a vital nutrient with powerful antioxidant properties. Like Vitamin E, it blocks free radicals that interfere with the normal growth of hair and encourages hair regrowth, heals the damaged hair, prevents hair loss and stimulates hair growth.

Low levels of zinc are often associated with these conditions: premature gray hair, thin and dull hair, brittle hair, etc. Zinc also plays a vital role in the formation of connective tissues of hair, nails, skin, teeth and bone.

Calcium:

Calcium deficiency can be a factor of diffuse hair loss.

Grape Seed Extract: Grapes contain healthy concentrations of Vitamin E, Flavonoids, linoleic acid and OPCs. Another important compound called resveratrol is found particularly in the skins of grapes and cysteine lysine arginine and methionine has powerful antioxidant properties.

Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins of grape seeds may inhibit the production of DTH, which is responsible for hair loss. OPCs with powerful antioxidant properties stimulate hair growth.

Studies conducted by Japanese scientists revealed the stimulating activity of grape seeds for hair growth. Proanthocyanidins of grape seeds were found to convert the non-growing phase of the hair into growing phase. In addition to this, they also inhibit the destruction of collagen structures.

According to a study conducted by the researchers, male albino rats were supplemented with grape seed extract (100mg/kg b.wt) for 30 days. The results revealed that grape seed extract had inhibiting effect on the accumulation of age-related oxidative damages in the spinal cord and various brain regions like cerebral cortex, striatum and hippocampus.

So, make sure you add these essential nutrients in your diet or choose a supplement that contain these vitamins and minerals.

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“Eat healthily and be healthy.”