Hair loss is extremely frustrating to experience. Here is the #1 best food to support healthy hair and stop hair loss.
Hair loss is extremely frustrating to experience because it can be difficult to prevent or manage. It can also feel defeating because oftentimes you may not know the reason behind it. Yes, losing some hair is natural to the aging process, but there are other potential factors like genetics, lack of nutrients, stress, or other underlying issues.
While some of these factors are harder to manage than others, incorporating more of the right nutrients into your daily diet may be one helpful avenue in preventing more hair loss.
According to Lauren Manaker, MS, RDN, author of The First Time Mom’s Pregnancy Cookbook and Fueling Male Fertility, “one of the best foods that supports healthy hair is eggs, specifically the egg yolk.”
1. Egg Nutrition Facts
The following nutrition information is provided by the USDA for one large hard-boiled hen’s egg (50g).
Calories: 78
Fat: 5g
Sodium: 62mg
Carbohydrates: 0.6g
Fiber: 0g
Sugars: 0.5g
Protein: 6g
Choline: 147mg
Carbs: Eggs are a low-carb food, providing less than 1 gram of carbohydrate in one large egg. They have a tiny amount of sugar and no fiber.
Fat: There are 5 grams of fat per large egg. About 1.6 grams is saturated fat, and the rest is polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. Preparing eggs with fat (like frying them in butter or oil) will add fat and calories to your meal. Most of the fat in an egg is contained in the yolk. The yolk provides about 55 calories worth of combined fat and protein.
Protein: Eggs are a good source of high-quality, complete protein. Most of it is found in the egg white: There are 4 to 5 grams protein, 17 calories, and virtually no fat in a single large egg white. Egg whites are also a good source of leucine, an amino acid that may help with weight loss.
Vitamins and Minerals: Eggs provide important vitamins and minerals. They contain vitamin D (important for the absorption of calcium), phosphorus, vitamin A (for healthy vision, skin, and cell growth), and two B-complex vitamins that your body needs to convert food into energy. Eggs are also a very good source of riboflavin, selenium, and choline.
2. Read on to learn how eggs can help with hair loss
Eggs contain nutrients and vitamins that may help boost your hair growth. According to Manaker, “eggs are a natural source of biotin, the darling of the hair health supporting nutrients.”
Biotin is a type of B vitamin, and aside from eggs, it can be found in meat, animal organs, fish, seeds, and nuts. In one egg you’ll get about 10 micrograms, which is 33% of your recommended daily value. According to the National Institutes of Health, this is almost the highest percentage of biotin, second only to beef liver. And let’s face it—eggs are a bit easier to incorporate into your meals than liver!
Manaker notes, however, that there are a few limitations in the research when it comes to preventing hair loss.
“While there isn’t much data that shows that biotin specifically prevents hair loss, there is some data that does suggest that deficiency of this nutrient is linked to unhealthy hair growth,” she says. “So eating biotin foods like eggs may help keep your hair growing at a healthy rate.”
One review found that biotin supplementation helped with hair growth and nail strengthening in participants who had underlying issues such as brittle nail syndrome. The study concluded that more research needs to be done on what biotin can do for people who don’t already have existing issues with their hair or nails.
Another review on hair loss and vitamin supplementation emphasizes that biotin supplementation isn’t necessary in healthy individuals.
Since these research articles are mostly referring to supplementation, it’s still important to incorporate food sources of biotin into your diet, and eggs are an easy and affordable way of doing this.
Manaker also mentions that another hair-related perk to eating eggs is that “they contain high-quality protein which is another nutrient that supports healthy hair.” In fact, a three-month study on women with thinning hair found that protein supplementation may possibly help reduce thinning and hair shedding.
So if you’re looking to prevent or stop hair loss, consider picking up a carton of eggs on your next grocery trip!
3. What Is Biotin?
Also known as vitamin H or vitamin B7, biotin is one of the B complex vitamins, which helps the body convert food into energy.
The word “biotin” is derived from the Ancient Greek word meaning “life” or “nutrition”. B vitamins – and especially vitamin B7, help keep your skin, hair, eyes, liver and nervous system healthy. Biotin is also an important pregnancy nutrient, essential for embryonic development.
Most people get enough vitamin H from a healthy diet. Many experts say that adding biotin can regulate blood sugar, stimulate hair growth, promote healthy skin and nails, as well as help pregnant mothers have healthier babies.
Biotin found in foods like eggs, milk, and bananas. Biotin deficiency can cause thinning of the hair and a rash on the face.
4. Health Benefits of Eggs
Helps Maintain Muscle Mass
Eggs are a good source of protein. Eating foods with protein can help you to build and maintain strong muscles, which can become more difficult as we age.
Provides Healthy Fat
While eggs do contain saturated fat, they also provide both polyunsaturated fat and monounsaturated fat, which are considered “good” fats because they have been shown to be helpful in lowering your LDL or “bad” cholesterol and boosting heart health. The American Heart Association recommends limiting saturated fats to about 13 grams per day if you typically consume about 2,000 calories daily.
Promotes Eye Health
Eggs are also high in the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect our eyes from macular degeneration (age-related loss of vision).
Supports Brain Health and Development
Choline, of which eggs are an excellent source, helps boost cognitive development in utero and may also protect us from age-related memory loss and other cognitive impairment.
Source: Eatthis/verywellfit!