(PABA) as this vitamin is commonly
known is one of the lesser known members of the B complex family, has been shown
to be an anti-grey hair vitamin. In tests in black animals that were feed with a
diet deficient of PABA, they developed grey hair, when the animals were
reintroduced to the vitamin, normal hair colour was restored
Research on humans with grey hair being
given 200mg of PABA after each meal produced results that showed that a study of
the hair afterwards resulted in a seventy per cent result of the hair returning
to its original colour. Other research claims that PABA combined with folic acid
also helps restore hair to its original colour.
Deficiency of PABA, Biotin, Folic Acid
and Pantothenic Acid appears to affect hair colour. Hair colour can normally be
restored with a diet rich in the B vitamins and in the few cases where colour is
not restored the hair will improve in quality and strength of growth.
PABA and the B vitamins are found in
foods such as liver, kidney, whole grain and yeast. The richest source being
liver.
Inositol
Inositol is also a member of the B
vitamin group. It is a compound occurring in the brain, muscles, liver, kidney
and eyes.
In laboratory animals, a diet lacking
Inositol produced baldness, but when the vitamin was added to the food of these
animals, the hair grew back again. It was also observed that male animals lost
hair twice as fast as female animals. The result of this experiment would
suggest that males require a higher Inositol intake than females. An Inositol
deficient diet can also cause eczema, a form of skin irritation.
One doctor in a series of experiments
prescribed Inositol together with other sources of B vitamins to all his balding
patients. In almost all case's hair loss was arrested, in some case's hair
growth was noticeable in as little as one month. In one case hair recovery was
total and not one bald spot remained.
Inositol, also appears to reduce the
amount of cholesterol in the blood.
Biotin
Biotin often called vitamin H, is
yet another B complex component. Biotin is a proven hair growth vitamin and a
preventative to excessive hair loss. It appears to metabolise fatty acids. Fatty
acids are a valuable growth factor in numerous processes in the body including
the hair. Biotin is also seen as an aid in preventing hair turning grey.
Biotin is found in egg yolks. Raw egg
whites actually hinder effectiveness, but when the albumen (egg white) is
cooked, the culprit - a substance called avidin is destroyed by heat. Biotin is
also present in liver, milk, yeast and kidney.
Balding men might find that a Biotin
supplement may keep their hair longer.
Zinc
In laboratory tests animals fed with a
zinc supplement showed signs of more hair growth, as opposed to loss of hair in
animals that were deprived of zinc in their feed. It was discovered that there
was a change in the hair protein structure when zinc was deficient in the diet.
Severe zinc deficiency in humans has
been shown to produce baldness and scalp problems that were reversed when zinc
was returned to the diet.
Zinc has also been shown to stop hair
turning grey. One doctor taking zinc for a year reversed the grey hairs which
returned to their original colour.
Zinc can be depleted by high stress
levels. For a good source of zinc, wheat germ is the best, other sources are
brewer's yeast, pumpkin seeds, oysters and mussels, shrimps and egg yolks.
One delightful effect of zinc is that
it has long been regarded as an aphrodisiac, and as such it can be very
beneficial for your sex life, which is not a bad side effect to have.
Protein
Protein is a basic ingredient in many
hair shampoos and conditioners and is also the major ingredient of hair itself,
which is at least ninety per cent protein. Whilst this should not necessarily be
the main ingredient in your diet, its importance should not be ignored.
In controlled tests volunteers,
supplementing their diets with protein in the form of 14g of gelatine daily,
found it increased the thickness of individual hair strands by as much as 45 per
cent in only two months.
Diet can influence both hair growth and
quality and gelatine has exhibited one of the highest specific dynamic effects
of any food or supplement.
Given that a strong hair is a healthy
hair, the study noted that the gelatine induced increases in the diet
constituted an improvement in the mechanical properties of the hair, including
strength. When the volunteers stopped eating the gelatine, their hair returned
to its original diameter within six months.
Vitamin E
A Canadian physician who started going
grey was able to reverse the process by taking 800iu of vitamin E in capsule
form daily. At the age of 68 after some 15 years of taking vitamin E he still
has a healthy head of thick black hair, and is the envy of men half his age.
Vitamin E has also been shown to retard
the ageing process. It has been suggested that grey hair is a symptom of body
degeneration so a supplement of vitamin E can only be beneficial whether you
have grey hair or not.
The best natural sources of vitamin E
are wheat germ, Soya beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach and eggs.
Choline
Choline is a B vitamin like nutrient
that's useful in counter acting the effects of stress. Recently scientists in
America were able to induce toxic levels of stress in baby animals by limiting
the amount of choline in their diets.
Choline supplements prescribed to
balding patients produced significant results to prove choline's worth in hair
loss. Lecithin is a very good source of choline, at it also supplies inositol, a
B complex vitamin with a particular affinity with choline, these two vitamins
work together well.
Foods rich in choline are egg yolks,
yeast, liver and wheat germ.
Vitamin A
A deficiency of Vitamin A will
cause dry hair and rough skin. Vitamin A is stored in the liver and if large
doses (50,000 - 100,000 iu daily) are taken for a prolonged period the liver
cannot store the A vitamin, and it can build up in the body to give unpleasant
side effects which include nausea, headaches, hair loss, drowsiness and weight
loss.
The R.D.A. for vitamin A is 2,500 iu.
Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic Acid also known as Calcium
Pantothenate is considered to be important to the health of the skin and scalp.
Pantothenic acid is necessary for the well being of every body cell and neither
carbohydrate nor fat can be changed into energy without it.
This nutrient is also important for the
functioning of the adrenal glands that produce much of the male sex hormones.
Volunteers who were feed on a diet
deficient of pantothenic acid showed increased vulnerability to infection and
adrenal levels dropped, blood pressure also dropped and constipation developed.
Animals lacking this nutrient in their
diet became grey haired and the follicles started to waste away.
This supplement is most often found in
B complex formulas.
This nutrient is obtained from liver,
kidney, egg yolks, whole grains, milk and potatoes.
Cider Vinegar
Hair loss can sometimes be a result of
poor metabolism. Many case histories show that as a result of a few teaspoonfuls
of cider vinegar each day for several months, hair loss has stopped and the
remaining hair has grown healthier and thicker. One reason for thinning hair is
a deficiency of minerals salts, so it is easy to understand why mineral-rich
cider vinegar can help.
Cider vinegar will not work the same
way for everyone. A few people may be allergic to it and others may not be
affected at all. But for many people, cider vinegar opens up a wonderful new
chapter in life.
Cider vinegar may be taken in a glass
of water first thing in the morning or just before meals. One of the side
effects can be weight loss which is an added bonus.
