Physic

[Physic]

Hi everyone it’s been a while. I just wanted to know if anyone had tried the Dr Mosley 800 cal diet. I’m losing my hair and wondered if it was the diet or me. I need to lose my hair like a hole in my head. It’s very thin already. Xxx

[Lalatoot]

From my understanding we need carbs to convert t4 to t3. If you are restricting you food intake your body may not be able to convert your levothyroxine ie t4 effectively and you may be low on t3. Low t3 is responsible for many of the hypo symptoms. This might include hair falling out. Diets aren't great for hypos.

[Physic in reply to Lalatoot]

Hi lalatoot. I’m taking 3grams if amour and feel ok, but I also have ET blood cancer witch can make me tired. I can’t always tell if it’s thyroid or cancer that has me tired. I’m 16 stone and getting very low. I’m really fed up. Do you think if I ate more carbs on the diet I would be ok. Xxx

[Lalatoot in reply to Physic]

Sorry to hear about your bad health. I would try eating a bit more to see if that helps. I understand your wish to lose weight but your body needs all the energy and nutrients it can at the moment to improve your health. How about vitamins - have you had levels checked recently?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Previous post you were finding out how low vitamin D was....obviously needs retesting too to see how much has improved

Often ferritin, B12 and folate are low too

Ask GP to test or test privately

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

If/when also on Armour , make sure to take last dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

When were ferritin, folate and B12 last tested?

Low ferritin can cause hair loss

All four vitamins need to be at good levels, extremely common to be too low

[Physic in reply to SlowDragon]

Not sure I’ll ask if he will check. My iron levels are low, but I can’t take iron or it will cause trouble with my bloods. I eat liver to help.

[Physic in reply to Physic]

He said my T-shirt was high last time 0.9.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Physic]

Link to article about hair loss and Hashimoto's

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

[MaisieGray]

You probably know all this, but if you are considering changing your diet, some things to consider regarding your hair loss include:

All cells, including hair, need vitamin A for growth. It also helps skin glands make sebum which moisturises the scalp and helps keep hair healthy. Sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkins, spinach and kale are all high in beta-carotene, which is turned into vitamin A, and Vit A can also be found in animal products such as milk, eggs and yogurt.

Another vitamin for hair growth is the B-vitamin biotin, and there have been studies linking biotin deficiency with hair loss in humans. Those who are deficient when they supplement have shown to have the best results, although true deficiency is very rare because it occurs naturally in a wide range of foods. There's a lack of data about whether biotin is effective for hair growth in those who are low but aren't actually deficient though.

Other B-vitamins help create red blood cells, which carry oxygen and nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles, processes important for hair growth. You can get B-vitamins from many foods, including whole grains, almonds, meat, fish, seafood and dark, leafy greens.

Free radical damage can block growth and cause your hair to age, and Vit C is a powerful antioxidant that helps protect against the oxidative stress caused by free radicals. In addition, your body needs vitamin C to create the protein collagen, an important part of hair structure. Vit C also helps your body absorb iron, a mineral necessary for hair growth, and strawberries, peppers, guavas and citrus fruits are all good sources.

Low levels of vit D are linked to hair loss, and there's research to show that vit D may help create new follicles, although most research focuses on vitamin D receptors and the actual role of vitamin D in hair growth is unknown. That said, if you are low in Vit D it's important to consider supplementing, and improvement in your hair might be an added bonus. Dietary sources include fatty fish, cod liver oil, some mushrooms and fortified foods.

Similar to vitamin C, vit E is an antioxidant that can prevent oxidative stress. In one study I read, people with hair loss experienced a 34.5% increase in hair growth after supplementing with vitamin E for 8 months compared with the placebo group having only a 0.1% increase. Sunflower seeds, almonds, spinach and avocados are good sources of vitamin E.

I read your comment about iron, but of course it helps red blood cells carry oxygen to cells which makes it an important mineral for many bodily functions, including hair growth. Foods high in iron include clams, oysters, eggs, red meat, spinach and lentils.

Zinc plays an important role in hair tissue growth and repair and also helps keep the oil glands around the follicles working properly, and hair loss is a common symptom of zinc deficiency. There are anecdotal reports though, that over-supplementing can also cause hair loss so it is especially the case that you should test before supplementing. Foods high in zinc include oysters, beef, spinach, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds and lentils.

Hair is made almost entirely of protein, so consuming adequate protein is important for hair growth. There have been animal studies that showed protein deficiency may decrease hair growth and even lead to hair loss.

[Physic]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this for me. I’ll look into it all. I’ll let you know how I get on. Again many thanks. Cxx

[Angel_of_the_North]

Any very low calorie diet will have an adverse effect on your thyroid. I wouldn't do it.

[Physic]

The doctor put me on it. I don’t think he thought it out. X

[Physic]

I’m going to try eating 1200 Cals a day and see how I get on. Xx