Alopecia Areata and Diet: Foods to Eat and Avoid

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Things To Avoid When You Have Alopecia Areata

Have you noticed people with irregular bald spots on their heads? This is due to a condition called alopecia areata. Alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition characterized by sudden hair loss and begins with one or more circular bald patches. It destroys certain hair follicles and can be triggered by extreme stress. According to Harvard Health , many foods encourage inflammation, promoting and exacerbating autoimmune symptoms. By adhering to certain dietary suggestions, you may be able to reverse alopecia areata or at least lessen some of the most distressing symptoms. Let’s talk about the things to avoid when you have alopecia areata.

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What are the causes of alopecia areata?

In general, your immune system defends your body against outside attackers such as viruses, fungi, and bacteria. As alopecia areata is an autoimmune condition, it occurs when the immune system misidentifies healthy cells as foreign substances, and your immune system assaults your hair follicles by mistake. Hair follicles are structures from which your hair grows. Eventually, hair loss occurs when the follicles shrink and stop generating hair. Researchers are unsure about the exact cause of this sickness. Some potential causes are:

Genetics or family history of alopecia areata
Possessing other health conditions, such as vitiligo, Down’s Syndrome, psoriasis, thyroid disease, etc.
Vitamin D deficiency
Cancer drug, nivolumab: Nivolumab-induced alopecia areata happens in persons undergoing cancer treatment with the cancer drug nivolumab. In many circumstances, hair loss indicates that the medication is functioning.

What are the symptoms of alopecia areata?

The most prevalent symptom of alopecia areata is hair loss. Typically, hair falls out in places on the scalp. These patches are frequently a few centimeters to millimeters in size. Hair clumps on your pillow or in the shower may be the first signs. Other regions of the face, such as the brows, eyelashes, and beard, as well as other parts of the body, may experience hair loss in patches. Someone may call your attention to the spots on the back of your head.

But the point to be noted is that alopecia areata is not diagnosed just by hair loss. According to doctors and experts, hair loss caused by alopecia areata is unpredictable and spontaneous. According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, this hair loss is not necessarily permanent. Because the hair follicles are living, hair can often regenerate. It can also grow slowly and reappear after a long period of inactivity. The degree of hair loss and restoration varies substantially across individuals.

About half of all denied claims that are challenged or appealed ultimately end up being covered – but only when policyholders put in the time and energy to fight the denial, the Los Angeles Times

Food to avoid when you have alopecia areata –

There is currently no treatment for alopecia areata, but there are certain things you may do to improve your view on the disease.

Diary: Dairy products are rich in fats, which raises your body’s testosterone levels. It is only one of the various causes of hair loss that have bothered many people. Dairy products also tend to aggravate skin conditions, including eczema, psoriasis, and dandruff, in people prone to them. In turn, this results in hair loss.
Sugar: High sugar intake causes poor blood circulation. This makes it challenging for blood and nutrients to reach your hair follicles. Some people who consume too much sugar report scalp inflammation. When your scalp is inflamed, you get a burning feeling instead of a very cold scalp because of insufficient blood flow. It, again, leads to damaged hair.
Refined Carbohydrates: Refined carbohydrates present in bread, cake, spaghetti, and pizza is one of the many factors that contribute to hair loss. Your body’s defenses against stress are blocked by foods containing refined carbohydrates. And once you eat them, they turn into sugar. We’ve already talked about what sugar does to your hair, so, yeah.
Polyunsaturated fats: Harmful Polyunsaturated fats are found in corn oil and sunflower oil. As a result, it is preferable to eat steamed foods rather than fried foods. Bake or lightly sauté your food.
Excessive Nuts: if you have an allergy to nuts, avoid it. Most nuts contain selenium, which, while necessary in trace amounts, can contribute to hair loss if consumed in significant amounts. Be careful of the Brazil nut because it is high in selenium.
Greasy foods: The scalp produces an oily material known as “sebum.” This sebum moisturizes both your hair and the skin on your scalp. But this sebum also gets oily when your body is overloaded with grease. Your hair will appear a little too limp and greasy as a result. As a result, it causes hair loss as the grease covering your hair follicles makes it difficult for your hair to grow.
Carbonated drinks: Carbonated beverages interact with the insulin in your blood and reduce its sensitivity to sugar. It causes blood sugar to rise, impairs blood flow, and reduces the nutrients reaching your hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.
Caffeine: Caffeine is a terrific hair growth stimulator when applied topically, but excess caffeine isn’t great for people with hormonal issues, specifically those with low or high cortisol levels.
Avoid Nightshades: Peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes should be avoided if you have alopecia areata since they trigger inflammation.

Ideal diet for alopecia areata –

If you retain your immunity throughout time, you have a decent chance of avoiding this condition. However, there are techniques to control hair loss and encourage regeneration if you have the condition.

Essential Vitamins: The most important vitamins and nutrients needed to control alopecia areata are:
1. Biotin: It is responsible for hair growth and increasing hair volume.
2. Zinc: It plays an essential role in hair tissue growth and repair. It also aids in the normal functioning of the oil glands surrounding the follicles.
3. Thiamine: It prevents nerve damage so hair follicles can grow without any hurdles.
4. Vitamin C: It strengthens the capillaries that supply blood to the hair shaft.
5. Antioxidants: It increases blood flow and nutrient-rich blood to the cells of the scalp, which promotes hair growth. There are many different kinds of these supplements, including vitamins, minerals, and bioflavonoids.
Conclusion –

Alopecia areata is hair loss from various body parts like the scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows, face, beard, etc. People with autoimmune illnesses such as psoriasis, thyroid disease, or vitiligo are more likely to develop alopecia areata. Although there is no cure for this condition, there are some things to avoid when you have alopecia areata. You may be able to reverse alopecia areata or at least lessen some of the most distressing symptoms. Avoid peppers, dairy products, sugar, tomatoes, caffeine, eggplant, potatoes, and polyunsaturated fats in your diet. Instead, include fish, fruits, vegetables, onions, bone broth, and healthy oils in your diet.

Alopecia Areata and Diet: Foods to Eat and Avoid

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

Although there are several treatment options available for alopecia areata, not all of them are effective, which can be frustrating and discouraging for people living with this condition.

But dietary changes and supplementation have been shown to help improve alopecia areata symptoms. They may even increase the chances of remission.

This article tells you everything you need to know about diet and alopecia areata, including what foods to eat, what foods to avoid, and what dietary supplements could potentially help with hair loss.

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease. When you have an autoimmune disease, your immune system malfunctions and attacks healthy cells in your body. In alopecia areata, the immune system attacks the hair follicles — openings on the skin through which hair grows — which causes hair to fall out.

Around 2% of people will develop alopecia areata in their lifetime.

Usually, alopecia areata causes spot baldness, or small areas of hair loss on the body. Hair loss typically occurs on the scalp and other areas of the face, but this condition can affect any part of the body where hair grows.

Although most people with alopecia areata experience small areas of baldness or mild hair loss, some people have more extensive hair loss. When the condition causes complete scalp baldness, it’s known as alopecia areata totalis. Alopecia areata universalis is a term for alopecia areata that causes complete hair loss over the entire body.

Between 10% and 66% of people with alopecia areata experience symptoms that affect the nails , including pitting of the nails and trachyonychia, a term for rough and ridged nails.

Like other autoimmune conditions, experts aren’t entirely sure what causes alopecia areata, but it’s thought that a triggering event , like stress, an illness, or a vaccine, causes alopecia areata to develop in genetically susceptible people.

Because the condition commonly improves without medical intervention, not everyone with alopecia areata will be prescribed medications to treat it.

In some cases, topical or injectable steroids are used to control or improve symptoms. People with more severe hair loss may require treatments like immunotherapy, which alters the immune response, or medications like methotrexate, which suppress the immune system.

Alopecia areata can be difficult to treat. There are mixed results around improving symptoms for some medications.

Because of this, people with alopecia areata often turn to more natural approaches to manage their condition, like dietary changes.

As in other autoimmune diseases, inflammation drives the disease process in alopecia areata. The immune response in this condition triggers inflammatory cells to attack hair follicles, which leads to hair loss.

This may be why studies show that people with alopecia areata can benefit from cutting certain foods out of their diet and following anti-inflammatory eating patterns.

According to findings from a 2020 case study , an 8-year-old boy with alopecia areata achieved complete remission after following a diet composed of whole, unrefined foods and supplementing with vitamin D, zinc, and other micronutrients for 5 months.

It should be noted that the author of this study received consultancy fees and stock options from the company that manufactured the supplement used to treat the patient, which could’ve influenced study results.

Gluten, a group of proteins found in wheat, rye, and barley, may also be problematic for people with alopecia areata. A 2020 review of 24 articles found that a gluten-free diet high in raw vegetables, soy, and protein led to symptom improvements in the majority of patients with alopecia areata.

Keep in mind that the people included in this review also had celiac disease, an immune reaction triggered by eating gluten.

However, research suggests that a gluten-free diet may also benefit people with alopecia areata who don’t have celiac disease. This is because gluten may exacerbate inflammatory skin diseases.

However, there’s a lack of research investigating the effects of different diets on alopecia areata. Even though other diets, like an anti-inflammatory eating program, would likely benefit people with this condition, there’s currently no evidence that any one diet is more beneficial than others.

That said, anti-inflammatory diets like the Mediterranean diet have been shown to be helpful for people with inflammatory skin conditions like psoriasis and experts suggest that these eating patterns could have similar benefits for those with alopecia areata.

In addition to possible improvement of alopecia areata symptoms, anti-inflammatory diets rich in nutrient-dense foods offer a variety of other health benefits.

For example, diets high in anti-inflammatory foods like fruits, vegetables, and seafood can help protect against chronic diseases like heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes.

If you have alopecia areata, a diet rich in the following foods may improve your symptoms and provide additional protective benefits.
- Vegetables: broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, garlic, cauliflower, spinach, carrots, asparagus, peppers
- Fruits: citrus fruits, cherries, apples, berries, peaches, pears, pineapple, grapes
- Healthy fats: olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, nut butter, coconut oil, unsweetened coconut
- Whole grains: brown rice, rolled oats, farro, quinoa, brown rice pasta, barley
- Legumes: chickpeas, lentils, black beans
- Protein sources: seafood, eggs, chicken, tofu, turkey, beef
- Spices, herbs, and seasonings: rosemary, turmeric, basil, sage, cinnamon, ginger
Many of these foods — the fruits and vegetables in particular — are high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds that help regulate inflammation, protect against cellular damage, and promote immune health.

Because it’s an inflammatory condition, people with alopecia areata should avoid foods and drinks known to contribute to inflammation . These include ultra-processed foods, fried foods, and food and drink with added sugars.

Additionally, gluten-containing products and dairy may make alopecia areata symptoms worse in people who are sensitive to these foods. If you’re interested in developing a diet to treat your alopecia areata, it’s best to work with a health professional like a registered dietitian whenever possible.

A dietitian may recommend trying what’s called an elimination diet, where you remove foods from your daily diet and then slowly reintroduce them to try and identify what may be causing your symptoms and worsening condition.

In general, though, people with alopecia areata may benefit from cutting out the following foods and drinks.
- Added sugars: table sugar, sweetened drinks like soda, cookies, ice cream, pastries, candy, sugary cereals, sweetened yogurts
- Fast food: fried chicken, French fries, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, pizza
- Refined grains: white bread, white pasta, instant noodles, bagels, etc.
- Ultra-processed snack foods and meals: chips, some frozen dinners, sugary granola bars, boxed mac and cheese
- Processed meat products: bacon, lunch meats, sausage, hot dogs
- Gluten-containing foods: breads, tortillas, wraps, cakes, crackers, and other items containing gluten
There’s no conclusive evidence linking diet and alopecia areata, but you can try different things to see if making changes to your diet helps with your symptoms. For optimal nutrition, it’s recommended that you work with a professional dietitian or a medical professional before you make any major dietary changes.

People with alopecia areata are more likely to have low blood levels of several nutrients, which could contribute to or worsen symptoms.

A 2017 review found that people with alopecia areata had lower blood levels of vitamin D, zinc, and folate compared to people without the condition.

A 2019 study that included 200 people, found that those with alopecia areata had significantly lower vitamin D levels compared to healthy controls. Also, it was shown that lower vitamin D levels were associated with more severe alopecia areata symptoms.

Not only is vitamin D critical for healthy immune function, but it also plays an important role in hair growth and hair follicle health.

Zinc, another essential nutrient for hair health and immune function, is also commonly low in people with alopecia areata. Studies show that people with alopecia areata who have low zinc levels are more likely to have severe symptoms.

In addition to zinc and vitamin D, there are a number of other nutrients that play important roles in hair and immune health. Anti-inflammatory supplements such as fish oil could be helpful for inflammatory skin conditions, too.

If you’re concerned about nutrient deficiencies and want to start taking supplements to help manage your alopecia areata, it’s important to work with a healthcare professional who can give you personalized suggestions based on your specific health history.

A healthcare professional can run blood tests to assess your nutrient levels. They can then recommend appropriate supplements and doses that are most likely to improve your symptoms and overall health based on the blood test results.

It’s possible to overdose on certain supplements such as vitamin D and zinc, which is another reason working with a healthcare professional is recommended.