Our lifestyles have gotten so stressful these days that we literally seem to be losing our hair over it. Work life is sedentary, as is personal life.

There is little room for physical activity and diet is far from regular. Stress levels are very high and people take to vices like smoking and drinking at an earlier age.

An interesting research says that 88% of non-vegetarians consuming meat at least twice a week were found more prone to hair loss as against 2% of vegetarians and 10% egg-eaters who were also part of the group.

This can be attributed to the high levels of oestrogen that are artificially introduced in chickens and other animals to fatten them up. High levels of oestrogen in the human system can lead to hair loss.

The excess of oestrogen pushes adrenal cells to make more cortisol, which is always seen to be elevated in patients suffering from androgenetic alopecia or pattern baldness.

A change in lifestyle is often recommended. In fact every hair fall treatment begins with
prescribing an appropriate diet which helps in reducing hair fall and help in hair regrowth. Perhaps turning to a more vegetarian diet can help make the difference.

A vegetarian diet rich in Vitamin C include oranges, lemon, sweet lime, berries, water melon, spinach, methi, tomatoes and potatoes. Iron rich food include palak, rajma, dal, channa, soya beans. Cashew nuts and sesame seeds and soya are rich sources of copper, whereas nuts, whole grams, and dals are rich sources of zinc. Nuts and beans are rich sources of protein as well.

(The author is a hairline and scalp specialist)