Do Diet and Exercise Really Matter?

Does leading a “healthy lifestyle” really help to prevent hair loss?

Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) is a hereditary condition primarily caused by genetic factors. In males and females with a family history of AGA, the process of hair miniaturization can begin as early as the late-teen years.

Even though the heritability of Androgenetic Alopecia is inevitable, there are many steps hair loss sufferers can take to slow down the progression of pattern baldness. It is important to familiarize ourselves with the other factors involved in hair loss so that we can take strides to limit these external effects.
There are countless hair loss treatments on the market today. From pills, capsules, shampoos, serums, hair transplants and laser therapy, if you name it it’s out there. Many of these are available with or without prescriptions, over-the-counter and online. Although each product operates with a distinctly different method of action, they all promise the same thing: efficacy.

Nevertheless, some of these treatments are more effective to others. Before investing our money into therapies that have not been proven to work, we can make important lifestyle changes to keep our bodies (and therefore our hair) as healthy as possible.
Let’s stop focusing strictly on genetics.

Instead of dwelling on factors beyond our control, we can focus our energy into positive actions that change our lives for the better. To many people, especially those that are just beginning to lose their hair, this advice can often come across as patronizing and extraneous. But even this modest change of perspective can pay extraordinary dividends if we accommodate it into our worldview.

For starters, if we are going to waste time worrying about our hair, we should at least make that time productive. Make the effort to research emerging therapies, chronicle your experiences in a blog, immerse yourself in scientific publications, contact specialists within the industry or join an advocacy group (National Alopecia Areata Foundation, Locks for Love, etc.). It is amazing how the knowledge and experience gained through these actions can ease the frustration and anxiety associated with hair loss.

Another important step is to eat and live healthily. This may sound far too obvious and convenient to be effective, yet many people are surprised to find that simply living a healthier lifestyle can go a long way in strengthening hair growth. Diet and exercise not only prevent hair loss and breakage, they also restore energy and self-esteem (two peripheral problems that arise in tandem with hair loss).

Now, it is a whole lot easier to consider eating well-balanced, nutrition-filled meals than it is to actually maintain a healthy diet (after all, Big Macs, Coke and Chinese takeout are absolutely delicious). Regardless, routinely eating healthy and wholesome foods is a great way to start fighting hair loss. Fast food meals that are high in fat, low in vitamins and high in salt content can damage our kidneys, create acidic blood and cause vitamin deficiencies. These factors weaken hair shafts and follicles, contributing to both fallout and fracture.