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The Role of Selenium For Hair Growth

5 Min Read

Selenium is a major nutrient that helps the body fight diseases. It has tons of benefits, since it is also an antioxidant and plays a role in keeping the metabolic functions of the body. Additionally, it helps support healthy function of several organs. Selenium is also needed for healthy hair growth. Below, we’ll look closer at how selenium really works in regard to growing your hair.

How Does Selenium Work For Hair Growth?

No worries, we’ll explain: Enzymes are molecules, used for different chemical reactions of the body. Many enzymes use selenium to do their work for them, which makes them more reactive. Some enzymes help the body clean itself from free radicals. These guys are very harmful to the healthy growth of hair and skin cells of the body since they play a major factor in premature aging and weaker hair follicles. Selenium works for healthy hair growth by killing free radicals.

Selenium is more concentrated in the thyroid than in our other organs and is important for the proper functioning of our thyroid hormone. This hormone in turn plays a huge role in regulating hair loss in patients suffering from the type of hair loss that occurs in patches.

Selenium also activates an enzyme important for the regeneration of important antioxidants in the body, such as vitamin C. These further promote hair growth and hair regrowth by killing harmful free radicals. The enzyme also regulates cells growth and health, something that has made researchers interested in whether it could be used to treat immune system diseases or be used in cancer treatment.

In addition to all these benefits, selenium sulfide is used topically to treat dandruff, which is why it’s often an ingredient in anti-dandruff shampoos. It can also work with protein-rich foods to help healthier hair growth. 

Selenium-Rich Foods To Eat For Healthier Hair

Getting enough selenium is important to maintain and improve healthier hair and prevent hair loss. So to be sure of that, there are some foods you can incorporate into your diet to help. Foods rich in selenium include:

  • Brazil nuts
  • whole grains
  • nuts
  • garlic
  • beef
  • liver
  • tuna
  • eggs
  • beans
  • oatmeal
  • spinach.

According to the Huntington College of Health Sciences, the recommended daily requirement of selenium is 50 mcg for adults and 70 mcg for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Since ingesting selenium to help reduce hair loss is a thing, it is a common ingredient in hair growth supplements.

But warning: Too much selenium can lead to selenium toxicity.

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These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.