Hair loss involves less volume, more breakage and thinning strands. Eat right, and you may be able to reverse the normal ageing process. Which three foods should you include in your diet?

Hosking and Juhasz are researchers from the department of dermatology at the University of California.

Last year, they did a review on the best alternative treatments for hair loss.

They stated: “Multiple factors contribute to hair loss, including genetics, hormones, environmental exposure, medications, and nutrition.”

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Focusing on nutrition, they added: “Vitamins and trace minerals are vital to the hair follicle cycle.”

In particular, the researchers took an interest in procyanidin – a class of flavonoids found in apples, grapes and cinnamon.

Known to contain “antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antifungal capabilities”, procyanidin has been shown to promote hair growth.

The flavonoid has been observed to “induce [the] anagen phase in [mice] hair models”.

The hair growth cycle: anagen, catagen, telogen

Anagen

During this phase – which lasts an average of three to five years – the hair grows half an inch a month.

Catagen

At the end of the anagen phase, the hair enters the short-lived catagen phase, which typically lasts 10 days.

Telogen

Telogen is a resting phase when strands of hair fall out. The hair follicle remains inactive for three months, before the hair growth cycle is repeated.

Each hair follicle on the scalp goes through its own growth cycle at different times.

This is why people’s hair doesn’t just fall out all at once.

The late hair doctor, Philip Kingsley said “if the hair growth cycle isn’t supported with good nutrition, hair will not grow as long as it used to”.

Back to the 2019 review, by the researchers from the University of California, they found supporting evidence that procyanidin promotes hair growth.

Data from another study showed how 29 patients with hair loss benefitted from procyanidin.

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The volunteers experienced “a significant increase in total and terminal hair counts at four months and six months compared to placebo”.

Another study focused on 43 men who suffered from hair loss, who demonstrated an increase in hair counts six months after taking procyanidin.

Specifically, the men saw a total increase of 23 hairs after 12 months.

On top of this review, researchers from Tsukuba Research Laboratories, Japan, also found a link between procyanidin and hair growth.

The laboratory study examined the effect of procyanidin on “the expression of PKC [protein kinase C] isozymes in hair cells”.

Using lab rats, they found that PKC isozymes “play an important role in hair cycle progression”.

They added: “The hair-growing mechanisms of procyanidin are partially related to its down regulation of PKC isozymes.”

This means that procyanidin – found in apples, grapes and cinnamon – are great additions to your diet to help promote hair growth.

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