Traya defines how good gut bacteria is your hair’s new saviour
A healthy you begins with a healthy gut and a balanced microbiome is what we mean when we say “healthy gut.” The bacteria that live inside our gut play a crucial role in determining not just our gut health but also the quality of our hair. Now why would these creepy crawlies be beneficial for hair one might wonder…. Well, these microorganisms have a tool box available in the form of enzymes which help them break down food to useful forms of nutrients. Traya’s Dietician Nishita Suratkal talks us through gut bacteria and how these nutrients are what is required for ideal hair growth.
How does Gut Bacteria Impact Hair growth?
The gut microbiome contains two types of bacteria – the good and the bad. How these bacteria work is that when there is a balance of the two bacterias, they consume the foods that you eat and break them down to essential micronutrients like biotin, vitamin K, B12, folic acid required for smooth functioning of the hair cycle. Only a balance in the levels of these bacteria will help the body break down and absorb all the essential nutrients for hair growth.
When the levels of good gut bacteria decrease, the bad ones tend to increase which means there is an imbalance in gut flora. This negatively impacts hair health. This overload of bad gut bacteria disrupts the process of biotin and other nutrient production due to which hair starts to appear thin eventually leading to hair fall. This imbalance also affects the hormone levels of testosterone, estrogen and cortisol which are otherwise required for a regular functioning of the hair cycle.
Factors that Hamper Gut Flora
Regular medication: Constant use of antibiotics due to illnesses tends to slowly diminish the flora in the gut a.k.a the gut microbiome. This change in the gut increases issues in the gastrointestinal tract causing diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting thereby causing hair fall. Studies show that it takes approximately 6 months for the gut flora to recover from the damage done by heavy antibiotics.
A poor diet: What you feed your body largely affects the composition of the gut flora. Over indulging in sugar / artificial sweeteners, soda, alcohol, bread, biscuits kills the good gut bacteria and increases the bad ones.
Chronic stress: Stress directly influences the gut flora. With chronic stress, bad gut bacteria release toxins, metabolites and neurohormones that reflect our eating habits as well as our mood.
Here’s how you can increase good gut bacteria
Fermented foods help bacteria break down sugars that you eat on a day-to-day basis and boost the good gut bacteria. Here are a few examples:
Kefir: This boosts strong probiotic properties, containing over 30 strains of bacteria and yeasts and improves gut health. ‘Now well-known as a superfood, Kefir contains probiotics and fibre, which are both known to contribute toward a healthy gut,
Tempeh: Tempeh is particularly rich in these beneficial prebiotics because of its high fiber content. In particular, one test-tube study found that tempeh stimulated the growth of Bifidobacterium, a type of beneficial gut bacteria.
Kombucha: This is thought to potentially provide probiotics, or “good” bacteria, that can improve digestion, boost the immune system, reduce inflammation, prevent leaky gut syndrome, and much more.
Kimchi: lactobacilli, the so called gut bacteria, is found highly in kimchi. Start with just a small teaspoon of kimchi with just one meal a day
Trust your Gut!
The steps you take to improve your gut in turn reflect your hair health. Apart from fermented foods, a diet that’s rich in fiber, protein, healthy fat and low in sugar will help you maintain healthy gut bacteria and improve hair growth.
Disclaimer : The above is a sponsored article and the views expressed are those of the sponsor/author and do not represent the stand and views of The Tribune editorial in any manner.
