On Hair Loss

I don't think I've posted in depth about the possible hair loss you could have as a result of the products. I now know of two cases where this was quite extreme, and as you know that can be most upsetting. As I've noted, Optifast can have many side effects, and hair loss is one of them. It's something you should be prepared for and here's my experience:

In my case, I didn't really notice anything until 4-5 months into the program. This fits with what our dietitians tell us: if you are going to have problems, it typically crops up at this time. What I noticed was when I brushed my hair after my shower in the morning, the brush was filling up with lots of strands. Now, I have thick hair, so I didn't think much about it. But when I went to the salon in October (around seventh month on product) to have my hair highlighted and cut, and washed my hair the next day, I really noticed that a substantial amount of hair was now gone.

I have no bald spots -- in severe cases, they will typically appear on the crown of the head -- but my hair is really thinned out. Strangely, I didn't ask the dietitian about what to do about it until a few weeks ago. Not sure why I never mentioned it to her before. I guess I was wrapped up in the Christmas season mess and transition anxiety and it didn't cross my mind. Regardless, she suggested taking no more than 2,000 mg/day of Biotin. It is available in the vitamin section in your grocery store or Target, Walmart, etc. I started in with 1000 mg/day and wouldn't you know -- I am already seeing new hairs growing back!

I also purchased Nioxin shampoo for thinning hair and I am using that as well. And I take a Magnesium vitamin every day for anxiety, and that can possibly stimulate hair growth. Elana from the Facebook Optifast Chat Support page posted the following information that I found very helpful:


"Hair loss occurs when the diet is inadequate in the B vitamins - especially B6, biotin, inositol and folic acid; and the minerals magnesium, sulfur and zinc. The B vitamins, especially B5 (pantothenic acid and B3 (niacin), are especially important for hair growth. Certain essential amino acids are found to control the thinning and thickening of hair in laboratory animals. For example, when rats were fed a diet deficient in magnesium, they lost their hair in bunches. The situation was even more serious with some other B-vitamins. When rats were fed a diet low in biotin or inositol, they became hairless! This nutrient-deficient condition was found to be reversible. When the rats were fed a diet that was rich in B vitamins, it resulted in the complete restoration of hair. 

Heavy intake of vitamin supplements, in some cases, have resulted in stimulating hair growth. Men deficient in vitamin B6 often lose their hair. When they are deficient in folic acid, some men became completely bald! As in case of animals, when normal intake of theses vitamins were restored, the hair also returned in most instances."

So in sum, I would advise starting in on Biotin and a multi-vitamin including the B vitamins early on in your program. Just to be safe. You might also want to add magnesium. Of course, this is just a suggestion, and the best course of action is to ask the clinic what they suggest.