The gut hair connection – what you need to know
Could the secret to healthy, luscious hair lie within your digestive system? We know that gut health is foundational for overall wellbeing, but it is also specifically useful for supporting your hair health.
Impaired digestive function can spell disaster for your locks. But by making small adjustments, you can get your gut working in your favour and work towards having the hair of your dreams!
The gut-hair connection
There are many pathways, both direct and indirect, that link your gut and your hair. But I find that there are three key areas we need to consider whenever looking at digestive drivers of hair concerns.
Nutrition
For hair to be healthy and happy, it needs nutrition to feed it! And almost all of the nutrition that we get comes through the digestive tract.
While it would be lovely if we could guarantee that everything we eat reaches where it needs to go, that’s simply not the case. Intake is only part of the picture – we also need to absorb macronutrients, vitamins and minerals. And if the gut function is impaired, the rate of absorption can drop rapidly.
Inflammation
When it comes to inflammation, it can start anywhere in the body that is vulnerable. But the digestive tract is often one of the first to become involved because it acts as a line of defense for the body. It can also be particularly susceptible to the effects of inflammatory microbes that can become overgrown within the gut.
Once inflammation pops up, it can spread throughout the body. Inflammatory molecules can lead to damage of the cells and follicles, resulting in hair loss, brittle hair and breakage.
Immune dysfunction
Have you ever wondered where the immune system actually is within the body? The majority of your immune system lives in the digestive tract. So if the gut is unhealthy, inflamed or out of balance, immune function is affected. This is particularly important if you have an autoimmune driver behind your hair concerns such as lupus, psoriasis, IBD, Graves’, Hashimoto’s or alopecia areata.
Simple ways to enhance your gut health
Now that you know that digestive health is key for your hair, what can be done to help? As with any health concern, it depends on what is driving the problem. But there are some simple and effective ways that you can prioritise your gut health starting today.
Eat more wholefoods
Like any system in the body, your gut relies on specific nutrients to function optimally. And because it has so many parts to play in our health, there are quite a few to consider!
But the easiest way to start building up a variety of key nutrients for your gut’s sake? Focus your diet primarily on wholefoods and minimally processed foods. The rule of thumb is the less processed a food is, the higher the nutrient content is likely to be (and in many cases, the easier for the body to absorb!)
Make sure your plate is made up mostly of high-quality meat, seafood, eggs, fruit, veg, beans, legumes, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices. And don’t forget to add some healthy fats such as avocado or olive oil!
Up your fibre intake (slowly!)
Another upside of focusing on wholefoods is that they are rich in fibre. And fibre is the number one food source for the good microbes that live in our digestive tract.
But there is such thing as too much of a good thing, at least to start with! If your diet is currently on the lower side when it comes to fibre, you could end up with unpleasant symptoms including pain, bloating and gas. So start adding in higher-fibre options slowly – 1-2 serves per day is a good starting point.
Reach for:
Wholegrains and pseudograins (e.g. quinoa)
Legumes and beans
Nuts and seeds
Fruit and veggies
Fresh herbs and spices
Look at how you eat – not just what
It’s easy to just think about what you’re putting in your body. But another important consideration is how you’re doing it – aka how you eat your food.
Are you running around, eating your meals in 10 minutes or less, on your phone or watching TV whenever you eat? If so, you could be missing out. This type of mindless eating can mean that you’re not taking time to chew your food and miss out on cues that help your body to produce sufficient digestive enzymes.
Aim for at least one meal per day that you can take your time with. Minimise distractions, apart from conversation if you’re not eating alone. Put away the electronics, and focus on truly enjoying your food. Your gut will thank you for it!
Get yourself moving
Movement is one of the healthiest things we can include on a daily basis. But unfortunately, modern lifestyle and convenience has put it on the backburner for many of us.
Exercise has been shown to modify the gut for the better. It can improve both the number and the diversity of good microbes within the digestive tract. But if you’re not moving regularly, it can lead to slower lymphatic flow and disrupted digestion.
The simple solution? Pick a form of movement you enjoy, and incorporate it on a regular basis. Daily is ideal, but even 2-3 times a week is a great option for getting started.
Take stress seriously
Whenever we talk about the gut, we have to think about the impact of the nervous system. The link between the two, aka the gut-brain axis, is one of the most powerful networks we have. And it is a two-way street, so they can affect each other if one is out of balance.
Stress is easily one of the biggest health issues of our lifetime, so it’s not surprising that it’s driving a lot of digestive health concerns. But taking steps to manage it effectively can go a long way.
My go-to management technique is meditation. There are countless studies that support the benefits of meditation and mindfulness! You can find evidence of it being beneficial for stress management, mental health, sleep and even digestive conditions.
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