The popularity of the hashtag #ketohairloss, full of hair loss horror stories, has prompted many to worry that the diet might be a causal link to their own hair loss. We look closer.
The Ketogenic Diet
Like the Atkins diet before it, the Keto diet promotes removing carbohydrates from your diet. In the case of Keto, it replaces those carbs with fat. By drastically reducing your carb intake, the theory is that it puts your body into a state called ketosis. After as little as two days without enough carbs, most people will go into ketosis/lipolysis.
Among the effects of ketosis are a couple of noticeable, if minor, negatives. Bad breath and short-term fatigue, as well as short-term decreases in performance, are all associated with ketosis. The notable impacts are on appetite suppression, which is of course why it has become popular.
Keto and Hair Loss
Hair loss on the keto diet is certainly a possibility. Looking at the constituents of the recommended diet, high in fat with limited protein, there is no reason to suspect that it might cause hair loss directly. Within the confines of the diet, there is plenty of scope to make sure you are getting enough to remain healthy. The problem is more likely to be associated with the sharp reduction in calories the diet leads to. Without adequate protein, you simply do not have the basic building blocks with which to produce hair. But without adequate calories, your body can trigger an energy saving response, which might well include starving fast-growing cells, like hair, of required nutrients.
HIS Hair Clinic
It might be that simply switching to the keto diet is putting enough stress on our body’s systems to trigger a negative reaction that becomes visible in the condition of our hair (and nails come to that).
If you are suffering from hair loss that you think might be associated with your diet, the first step should be to seek professional help. Getting an evaluation and accurate diagnosis might well save you from treating a problem that you do not have… by identifying some other underlying medical condition that is really causing the hair loss.
If you would like to discuss your hair loss situation with one of our team of friendly experts, simply complete our contact form on this page or click here to find your nearest clinic.
