Can You Avoid Hair Loss By Eating Bacon?

In a word… no! But a recent Daily Express headline that read “Not eating bacon could make you lose your hair” was perhaps onto something when it pointed out that a vegan diet frequently denied people a whole range of vitamins and nutrients that are essential for a healthy head of hair. There are, indeed, multiple routes to hair loss but whether you eat bacon or not doesn't affect any of them.

The article explained the rising popularity of a vegan diet, which it said had “never been so trendy”, pointing out that an estimated one in 400 people are now vegan. They say that celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Ellie Goulding have all tried or embraced a vegan diet, helping the diet to become appealing to a wider audience.

Hair loss as result of vegan diet

So how did bacon enter into the equation? It didn’t, to be honest the article actually centred around how one clinic had noticed a hike in patients whose skin and hair complaints were “a direct result of a vegan diet.”

It then went onto explain that a well-rounded, healthy diet would likely include fish, eggs and dairy products, as well as “zinc-rich foods such as beef, pork and chicken.”

Hair loss specialists agree that a balanced diet, topped up with food supplements if necessary, is advisable and that there is no single food that will keep a person’s propensity for hair loss at bay and if there were such a superfood it is highly unlikely it would be bacon.

What many people do forget is that hair follicles are very much a living part of their body, and that the old adage of what you put in you also get out rings true. But a great diet won’t trump genetics, and if you have an inherited propensity for Male Pattern Baldness or Female Pattern Hair Loss, as millions do, then a daily dose of quinoa isn’t going to help.

Hair loss specialist may help

Whilst there are plenty of nutrients - in vegetarian and vegan diets as well as carnivorous ones - that can help to keep hair healthy and strong, but that doesn't stop it from thinning if your genes are predisposed to hair loss. Simply put, vitamins and minerals can only improve the condition of the hair, not an hereditary hair loss condition.

What may help, however, is a visit to a professional clinic for a diagnosis of your condition and where specialists will have an in-depth knowledge of the medically-proven hair loss treatments suitable for stabilising shedding and promoting regrowth. They can tailor a bespoke course to your precise needs which, in addition to relevant key medication, may also include components from a range of complementary booster products to ensure clients have the best possible chances of regrowing lost hair.

Your dedicated hair loss specialist nurse will also be able to provide on-going lifestyle advice in relation to your thinning. This includes discussing any potential dietary deficiencies which may exacerbate your hair loss and which you may need to address, regardless of what type of diet you follow.