Can Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Hair Loss?

Vitamin D is a vital nutrient that plays a significant role in the overall health of the body. Besides boosting your immunity, sufficient vitamin D strengthens your bones, stimulates cell growth, promotes healthy skin, and encourages healthy hair growth. One simple way of absorbing Vitamin D nutrients in the body is through sun exposure. While we know the downsides of deficiency D in the body such as rickets and weight gain, but can vitamin D deficiency cause hair loss? In this article, we will discuss the relationship between hair loss and deficiency of vitamin D.

Am I At Risk Of Suffering From Vitamin D Deficiency?

In most cases, a lack of exposure to sunlight and lack of intake of foods rich in Vitamin D are the major causes of Vitamin D deficiency. So, if you spend most of your time indoors, especially for older people, you are at a higher risk of suffering from Vitamin D deficiency.

Also, certain medications and diseases such as GI tract diseases, like Celiac disease, are also said to increase the likelihood of vitamin D deficiency. Liver disease and chronic kidney disease are closely associated with lack of enough vitamin D in the body

What Are The Effects Of Vitamin D Deficiency?

Besides hair loss, other implications of insufficient vitamin D in the body include

• Muscle, bone, and joint pain
• Tiredness and fatigue
• Irritability
• Anxiety, depression, and lower body energy
• Sour mood
• Chronic pain
• Rickets in children
• Few cases of Allergies, eczema, and asthma
• Soft bones in adults
• Infertility
• Decreased endurance

How Does Vitamin D Affect Hair?

Vitamin D plays a major role as far as the overall health of your hair is concerned. It promotes the formation of new hair follicles - tiny pores from which new hairs grow. The growth of new hair helps to maintain hair thickness while preventing the existing hair from breaking or falling out prematurely. For this reason, you can agree with me that the intake of enough Vitamin D in the body can positively affect your hair. On the same note, deficiency of Vitamin D can negatively affect the health of your hair.

Does Vitamin D Deficiency Cause Hair Loss?

• While Vitamin D is a possible cause for hair loss, it isn't the only cause. For instance, hair loss is closely associated with other conditions such as stress and depression, certain medications, and chronic health complications such as cancers. So, it's good to be sure about what could be causing the hair problem before basing it on Vitamin D deficiency.
• There is enough evidence that suggests that Vitamin D deficiency could cause hair loss and other hair problems. According to research, when Vitamin D is absorbed in the body, it stimulates the growth of hair follicles. This means that lack of enough Vitamin D in the body could affect the health of the hair.
• Besides, Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with several forms of nonscarring hair loss. For instance, it has been associated with Alopecia areata condition, which is an autoimmune condition linked to patchy hair loss in the head as well as other body parts.
• According to studies, low levels of Vitamin D may increase the risk of suffering from alopecia areata. If you are already suffering from this condition, it means that your Vitamin D levels are low and you are vulnerable to severe hair losses. A recent study involving patients with Alopecia areata concluded that Vitamin D replacement in the body promoted hair regrowth.
• In a recent case study, application of a synthetic form of Vitamin D in a young boy was found to treat hair loss problem.

What Is The Recommended Dosage Of Vitamin D?

Adequate intake of Vitamin D in the body will boost your bone strength and maintain healthy hair growth.

• The Endocrine Society recommends that children below the age of 1 year should consume approximately 400 IU of Vitamin D per day.
• Older children should consume about 600 of Vitamin D per day.
• Adults aged 19 and 55 years old should consume about 600 IU (International Unit) of vitamin D daily.
• Adults over the age of 55 years should receive between 600 to 800 IU of Vitamin D on a daily basis.
• To start with, visit your doctor and check your Vitamin D levels. Also, you will be able to get a good range of the amount of Vitamin D you should consume daily.

How Do You Treat Vitamin D Deficiency?

Before treating this condition, it's important to check with the doctor first. The situation could have been caused by an underlying condition that might require serious and immediate medical attention. Common ways of treating Vitamin D deficiency include;

1. Sun Exposure

The most natural and readily available treatment for Vitamin D is basking in the sun. Make sure that you spend about 20 to 30 minutes outside to absorb some Vitamin D from the sun. Remember, not spending enough time in the sun could contribute to Vitamin D deficiency. If you can't take a walk in the sun, try to get it through the window.

2. Vitamin D Supplements

According to research, the most effective treatment for Vitamin D deficiency is to take Vitamin D supplements. Usually, they come in a variety of forms and are readily available in your local store. For best results, make sure to consult the doctor for good vitamin D supplement recommendations. Also, have a regular vitamin D blood test to measure the progress of your treatment.

The number of supplements to take will depend on your current Vitamin D levels. Most supplements are taken together with meals, especially those with plenty of healthful fats. Research suggests that fats help in better absorption of Vitamin D in the body.

3. Foods Rich In Vitamin D

Another great way to treat Vitamin D deficiency is taking foods rich in Vitamin D. Some great sources include

• Fatty fish - salmon, tuna, and mackerel
• Daily products and cereals
• Fruits such as oranges
• Soy milk
• Beef liver and cheese
• Mushrooms
• Egg yolks

4. Medications

Talk with your doctor for an effective treatment for Vitamin D deficiency as well as hair loss due to insufficient Vitamin D levels in the body.

Conclusion

Now that you know that Vitamin D deficiency can cause hair loss, make sure to boost the intake of Vitamin D levels in the body before it gets out of hand. Also, remember that lack of enough Vitamin D in the body will lead to more complications than just hair loss.