Autoimmune conditions are related to leaky gut or intestinal permeability. Basically, autoimmune conditions could be due to food intolerances and food sensitivities. The gut plays a very important role in waging an inflammatory process. Individuals having Alopecia Areata might look healthy in general, but still, they may have underlying gut issues. Because of this, these individuals may experience symptoms such as bloating, hair fall, joint pain, indigestion, and body pain as the immune system attacks the hair follicles. Also, one may experience loss of hair in the eyebrows, eye lashes, or from the scalp. The hair follicles get Inflamed and fall out.

Usually, it is more common in women than in men, women who are:

  1. Women older than 40
  2. Women who just went through pregnancy
  3. Menopausal women
  4. Women who are affected by medications, or during chemotherapy

It is amazing to see how the gut can impact our immune system which is the watchguard of our system.

It is the job of the immune system to wage an inflammation attack to alert the body about the repose to certain toxins, triggers, or foods that could have irritated the gut to cause a reaction.

Foods that are important to keep in mind for people suffering from alopecia are

  1. Collagen or bone broth which will help in healing the leaky gut
  2. Probiotics which will help to change the environment of the gut from within the terrain of the gut.
  3. Zinc has a huge role to play in DNA replication. It can help increase hair growth.
  4. Reduction in probable inflammatory foods such as gluten, dairy, and sugar and substitute with a healthier option.
  5. Iron and B12 absorption. Foods such as dark green vegetables including kale, watercress and spinach, nuts and seeds like sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts must be included in the diet due to their high iron and B12 content. A lot of people do suffer from anemia or have iron absorption issues, due to GERD or other gut-related issues. Increasing iron via food or supplementation will need to be a must.
  6. Vitamin D plays an important role in the autoimmune condition: Alopecia Areata. A deficiency in vitamin D can cause Alopecia Areata. This is because vitamin D and it metabolites aid in the process of the production of keratin which is a protein present in hair, nails, and skin.