Can the Blood-group Diet Help With Hair Loss or Longer Hair?

 

We always say that healthy hair leads to longer hair. We also think that a big part of any successful regimen is the nutrition. That’s what got me thinking: “Can the blood group diet help in the quest for longer hair?”

I came across this diet when my sister –  also a naturalista – visited a naturopathic doctor whose practice is built on the blood-group diet. My sister has long been afflicted by auto-immune disease where basically, her body attacks its own cells thinking that they are harmful.

This resulted in her hair falling out in clumps. There were days when it seemed her hair was being fried right there on her scalp, it smelt burnt and was brittle. Nothing seemed to help. Interestingly, when she started treatment with this naturopathic physician and maintained healthy hair care practices, her hair grew back and now we are trying to see who will get to waist length first. ( I must say she looks to be in the lead with about an inch to go).

What is the Blood-group Diet?

The blood-group diet is popularized by Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo. The concept is that everyone should maintain a diet based on their blood type in order to be in optimum health. In this nutrition system, some foods are beneficial and act as medicine to replenish cells and fight threats to the immune system, while other foods act as a poison.

The foods that act as poison are the foods that cause allergies and lead to chronic diseases or illnesses that linger and cause other health related issues.

The diet also takes ethnicity into account. It’s all broken down in Dr. D’Adamo’s book, but this is a post exploring the possibility of it aiding in longer hair so I won’t go into details about what each blood group should or should not eat.

Could It Be Possible?

My curiosity as it relates to the possibility of this blood group diet being beneficial to hair care is fueled by the fact that there are many who suffer from some type of illness or deficiency that makes hair growth painstakingly challenging. Those suffering from alopecia owing to auto-immune issues, chronic illnesses, anemia as well as those of us who simply suffer from slow growth could benefit greatly if this theory holds any plausibility to it.

How many times have you heard the saying “you are what you eat”? How many times have you read articles that talk about how diet affects your hair?  If you take a moment to look into it, you will notice that many of the top hair icons in the black community have credited nutrition with much of the success they’ve had. Even us here at BHI have talked about superfoods and how they may assist you in your healthy hair journey. With that being said I guess this wouldn’t be too far-fetched.

If the speed of hair growth is dependent on factors such as hormones, genetics and blood flow or the amount of oxygen and nutrient rich blood, I think this theory could hold some water. When you think of it, once you find out what foods act as poison and eliminate those from your diet while eating the ones beneficial to your blood group, the greater the uptake of minerals and nutrients to your blood. It would also mean your body could focus on healing itself if there are underlying factors causing hair loss, and attaining proper balance.

Now I’m no health professional but as I researched the possibility of this theory, I came across this article from The Trichological Society, and this one from ScienceDaily which posits that blood vessels hold the key to thicker hair growth.

One may point out that increasing the flow of blood to the follicles is what should be credited with an increase in growth, but if that blood is weak or deficient in nutrients the results would hardly be anything to write home about; so while the articles do not directly endorse the blood-group diet, deductive reasoning based on the content they share would cause one such as myself, to see a link between their positions and a diet that aims to get the body operating at optimum performance by placing emphasis on the blood.

Considerations

We would not recommend that you simply buy the book and start following the diet. If it is something you think could work for you, it is prudent that you see a naturopath and do the proper tests.

Remember that you would want to ensure the diet is tailored to you specifically so that other things specific to your health can be captured in the analysis before a diagnosis is made and a course of treatment is implemented.

Such things as pre-existing conditions, medical procedures that were done and medication taken would be things that the naturopath would need to know.

Conclusion

It’s not just about vanity. Sure we want to be snatched and get those curls bodied, but this would assist with overall health since, the diet assists with weight loss, chronic illnesses, and infertility. There are many people suffering and their hair loss is just a symptom.

If this diet could somehow reset their system and improve their quality of life, that would be awesome. I believe that the doctors among us should seriously look into how this could help. Even if they do rule the theory out, at least we would be a step closer in the search for remedies for those who suffer from alopecia and hair loss linked to chronic issues.

Let us know in the comments below what you think of this theory. Have you heard of or tried the blood group diet?