An important vitamin that “intricately interferes” with hair growth!

London – Follow-up: If daily hair loss is greater than about 100 hairs per day, gradual thinning may occur. This often becomes increasingly noticeable in later years, when hair growth slows.

Permanent hair loss can be distressing, but there are a number of natural remedies that have shown promise in stimulating hair growth.

However, the NHS says people should be wary of miracle cure claims.

A review on hair loss and vitamin D, published in the National Library of Medicine, states that vitamin D plays an important role in dermatology and dermatological treatments, due to its anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating properties, and the regulation of keratinocyte differentiation and proliferation.

It also affects the hair cycle, and its role in hair loss is under constant research.

A literature search was conducted in PubMed to review relevant existing studies investigating the role of vitamin D in pathogenesis, as a supplement and as a potential treatment modality in hair loss.

It found that vitamin D was “intricately involved” in different signaling pathways for hair follicle growth and differentiation. However, there is a lack of conclusive studies to prove the benefit of giving vitamin D in correcting hair loss and managing these conditions.

Another study published in the Wiley Online Library says: “Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with several hair loss disorders, such as alopecia areata and female pattern hair loss. However, previous studies have not found an association between vitamin D levels in the blood and the severity of androgenetic alopecia.

The study states: “Our study showed a significant association between vitamin D deficiency and the severity of androgenetic alopecia. This suggests that vitamin D may play a role in the premature onset of androgenetic alopecia. However, more studies in a larger population and the effect of vitamin D supplementation on the development of androgenetic alopecia are needed to validate the reported findings.

The Cleveland Clinic says a vitamin D deficiency can have a number of signs and symptoms that may include:

• Fatigue.

• Bone pain.

• Muscle weakness.

• Mood changes, such as depression.