- A new research review indicates that sugary drinks and alcoholic beverages can contribute to hair loss.
- However, certain nutrients, like vitamin D, iron, and protein, can help promote healthy hair.
- When prioritizing nutrition isn’t enough to manage hair loss, it’s essential to get treatment sooner rather than later.
For many people, maintaining healthy hair goes beyond a good hair cut or buying the latest products. According to new research, hair health begins with a nutritious diet.
A review published on August 21 in Nutrition and Health suggests that what you eat can affect hair growth, strength, and even hair loss.
The analysis shows that sugar-sweetened beverages and alcoholic drinks were associated with a higher risk of hair loss, but also indicates that certain nutrients can promote healthy hair.
From vitamins and minerals to specific foods and drinks, the findings offer practical tips for anyone wanting to support their hair health.
For the review, researchers followed PRISMA guidelines, considered the gold standard for systematic reviews, and registered their work on PROSPERO.
They scoured three big scientific databases — PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus — looking for studies published between March and June 2024.
Using keywords like “dietary intake,” “nutritional status,” “hair growth,” and “hair loss,” they started with 1,287 articles.
After filtering for English and Portuguese studies and removing duplicates, 880 remained.
Two reviewers independently checked which studies fit their criteria: participants had to be 3 years or older, studies had to focus on specific nutrients or foods, and hair outcomes had to include things like growth, texture, or strength. Non-human studies, reviews, and case reports were left out.
Eventually, 17 studies made the cut. They included more than 61,000 participants — mostly females ages 7 to 77 — and spanned different study types like randomized trials, case-control studies, and cohort studies.
The researchers also assessed the quality of each study, finding some variability, but overall the results offered a clear picture of what we currently know.
The review further highlighted that alopecia was the most frequently studied hair condition, with eight studies focusing on its severity and occurrence, and five studies assessing hair loss more generally.
Various assessment methods were used, ranging from clinical history and physical examination to objective measures like the Severity of Alopecia Score (SALT) and phototrichograms, ensuring a broad evaluation of hair health outcomes.
Among the nutrients studied, vitamin D emerged as the most extensively researched, with five studies focusing on its relationship to hair conditions such as alopecia areata (AA) and androgenetic alopecia (AGA).
Most of these studies found an inverse correlation between vitamin D levels and the severity or duration of alopecia, suggesting that higher vitamin D status may be protective against these hair loss disorders.
However, one study did not find any association, highlighting the need for further clarification.
Iron was another nutrient highlighted for its positive impact on hair health.
One study showed that iron supplementation (100-milligram tablets) improved hair growth among women with alopecia, supporting the role of iron in hair follicle metabolism and cellular proliferation.
Conversely, protein deficiency was found to negatively affect hair health by reducing hair bulb diameter and pigmentation, emphasizing the importance of adequate protein intake for keratin production, the key structural protein in hair.
The review also examined the role of specific foods and beverages as well as certain supplements commonly used for preventing hair loss and encouraging better hair growth.
On the other hand, higher intake of alcoholic and sugary beverages was linked to increased hair loss and premature hair depigmentation.
These findings suggest that certain dietary choices can exacerbate or mitigate hair health issues.
In addition to individual nutrients and foods, several studies investigated the effects of dietary supplements containing combinations of vitamins, minerals, and plant extracts.
Supplements such as INVERSION Femme (which includes green tea and grape extracts, beta-carotene, zinc, selenium, and various vitamins) and marine protein formulations showed promising results in reducing hair loss and promoting hair growth.
Similarly, oral supplementation with hydrolyzed eggshell membrane and persimmon leaf extract was associated with improvements in hair density and thickness.
Marie Jhin, MD, a board certified dermatologist and chief medical officer at Musely, told Healthline that hair follicles are metabolically active, so they are reliant on a steady supply of nutrients.
“I encourage patients to eat a diet rich in lean proteins, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains,” she said, noting the importance of iron, zinc, vitamin D, and biotin, as well as omega-3 fatty acids, which can be found in fish, flax, and walnuts.
“Even mild deficiencies in these nutrients can affect hair growth and quality,” said Jhin.
When it comes to supplements, she advised that most people can get adequate nutrition from foods; however, supplements can be helpful when there are dietary restrictions or proven deficiencies.
“Vitamin D and iron are two common deficiencies I check for in patients with hair loss, and supplementation can make a difference if levels are low,” she said.
Jhin further spoke about biotin, which is often marketed for hair health.
“[While] it may help some individuals, it is usually most effective in people who are deficient, which is relatively rare,” she explained.
Jhin recommended speaking with a physician before starting any supplements since over-supplementation may do more harm than good.
Susan Massick, MD, a board certified dermatologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, emphasized the importance of maintaining overall health.
“Get regular physicals and health exams, follow your physician’s recommendations, lower your stress levels, eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, avoid smoking, and get plenty of rest,” she told Healthline. “Be gentle with your hair care.”
However, if you are experiencing hair loss, Massick stated that it’s important to start treatment early, especially if you’re genetically at risk for hair loss. (Healthline’s FindCare tool can be an invaluable tool for locating a dermatologist near you who treats hair loss.)
“[Don’t] wait for it to become so obvious that it is hard to cover up,” she said.
Massick noted that there are multiple types of effective treatments for hair loss, depending on what is causing it.
Finally, Massick said that it’s important to be patient when treating hair loss, since it can take at least six months to see improvement.