Are you shedding hairs like your pet dog in the summer? While hair loss can be caused by many things, one culprit you might not have considered is gluten.
Yes, we’ve seen the words “gluten-free” plastered on food packages more and more these days. But before you dismiss it as a dietary trend, it’s worth exploring the link between gluten and hair loss—your love of bread might be costing you your luscious locks.
How Gluten May Cause Hair Loss
Gluten sensitivities abound, affecting an estimated 30-50% of the U.S. population. Or to put it another way, about 20 million people don’t do well with gluten.
For these people, gluten affects the body’s immune response. It causes damage to the small intestine, which doesn’t allow the body to properly absorb nutrients. This means that nutrients aren’t going to the right parts of the body—including hair follicles.
There’s more.
Gluten may also cause inflammation, which triggers an immune response throughout the entire body, including the hair and scalp.
The problem is that, unlike other proteins, we don’t digest gluten entirely. For people with gluten sensitivities (including celiac disease), the immune system sees gluten as a mortal enemy and starts attacking the body. This all takes place in the gut, but it has ripple effects throughout the body, including headaches, skin rashes, pain, and depression (among others).
Gluten Does More than Damage Your Hair
Eating a diet high in gluten can eventually lead to a gluten intolerance. If you have an undiagnosed gluten intolerance and continue to eat gluten, your immune system stays in a hypervigilant state. This can lead to chronic inflammation and increase your risk of developing additional autoimmune diseases.
Science tells us there are hundreds of symptoms and diseases linked to gluten. The problem is that many of these symptoms are treated independently from their root cause rather than linked to a broad health issue, like gluten sensitivity. Hair loss is an example of this, and to fix it, we need to work backward and understand how gluten makes your hair fall out and what you should do next.
Gluten-Related Hair Loss Can Be Stopped
Eating a sandwich or a roll doesn’t mean your hair will fall out. But given the growing number of people developing gluten sensitivities, it’s worth exploring gluten free options.
Finally, some good news: there’s something you can do to reclaim your luscious locks.
If gluten is indeed the cause, going gluten-free should encourage those tresses to return. This means going gluten-free in every sense of the word, including the supplements and vitamins you take.
Vitamins are a big part of hair health—without the right nutrients, your hair can’t flourish. That’s why we created our gluten-free tested hair vitamins, ensuring your hair gets the royal treatment without hidden dangers.
Explore our lineup of hair vitamins and start reclaiming your hair health today!