Your hair is your crowning glory. Having healthy hair is not only fashionably desirable, it’s also an indication of a healthy body. A good set of locks is often a product of a healthy and balanced nutritional program. If you suffer from hair loss–or just want to grow that short hairstyle out–be glad to know that several nutrients can contribute to growing hair, among them a form of vitamins that come from food and dietary supplements.
Vitamin H or Biotin
Vitamin H, also known as biotin or B7, helps burn and absorb carbohydrates, fats and amino acids, all of which are essential protein-building ingredients. Vitamin H is water-soluble, which means that the body does not contain it for long. Bacteria found in the intestine help create this nutrient. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, Vitamin H helps reinforce and strengthen hair and nail growth. Combining biotin with zinc and topical clobetasol propionate can help treat partial or complete hair loss known as alopecia, which affects both children and adults.
Sources of Vitamin H include Brewer’s yeast; cooked eggs, especially egg yolk; sardines; nuts, including walnuts, almonds, pecans and peanuts; legumes, including soybeans, black-eyed peas and green beans; whole grains; cauliflower; bananas and mushrooms.
Vitamin H is also available as an individual supplement in the form of 10, 50 and 100 mcg tablets. If you take multivitamins and B-vitamin complexes daily, you’ll be glad to know they also contain vitamin H.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 is a water-soluble vitamin that is a member of the B-vitamin complexes. It appears in three chemical forms: pyridoxine, pyridoxal and pyridoxamine. The National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements states that Vitamin B6 is essential in protein and red blood cell metabolism, which are important building blocks of hair growth. In addition, the U.S. Patent Office mentions that applying Vitamin B6 topically to the scalp can enlarge subnormal hair bulbs and increase the hair’s diameter, strength and body.
Don’t hesitate to chow down on foods that pack Vitamin B6–that means fortified cereals, beans, meat, poultry, fish and some fruits (banana, kiwi, guava and pomegranate) and vegetables such as spinach, bell peppers, turnip greens, cauliflowers and brussels sprouts. If you are a busy body, taking Vitamin B6 in tablet form will help supplement your diet.
Vitamin D3
Vitamin D3, also known as cholecalciferol, is both a vitamin and a hormone. It binds with calcium for proper absorption. Without Vitamin D3, people cannot digest calcium. A study published by The Endocrine Society in 2002 titled, “Vitamin D3 Analogs Stimulate Hair Growth in Nude Mice,” indicates that Vitamin D3 helped initiate hair follicle cycling and stimulated hair growth in mice without hair. Therefore, you can expect that your hair will grow if you take Vitamin D3.
Cod liver, sardines, mackerel, salmon, liver, beef, eggs (whole), cheese, milk such as nonfat, low-fat or Vitamin D-fortified, orange juice, yogurt, margarine and mushrooms are all sources of Vitamin D3. If you are an outdoorsy type, you can also get Vitamin D3 from sunshine. Vitamin D3 is also available in tablet form to help supplement your diet.
Photo Credit
- my long hair image by Frenk_Danielle Kaufmann from Fotolia.com
