Quite often, the most common tell-tale signs of poor lifestyle appear on your skin, nails and hair.
This poor growth can regularly be traced back to unhealthy tendencies, including diet. As a result, eating enough of the right foods is crucial for keratin production.
However, it’s just as important to dodge the worst-offending foods that could be contributing to the loss of your tresses, a specialist has warned.
Dr Gizem Seymenglu listed specific foods that you may consume on a daily basis which could be “secretly damaging your locks”, exacerbating poor growth and causing excessive shedding.
Certain foods could be 'secretly damaging your locks', Dr Gizem Seymenglu proclaimed
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One particularly surprising food that can cause “excessive loss” is the common larder staple: tuna.
In fact, consuming fish with high levels of mercury can be considered detrimental to your healthy locks, including lunchtime favourite tuna.
“Fish like tuna, swordfish and king mackerel contain high levels of mercury, which is a toxic substance that can cause excessive hair loss,” the doctor said.
In New York, researchers have identified a link between sudden-onset shedding and high mercury levels, shown in two women who experienced hair loss.
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After the patients, 43 and 39, eliminated tuna from their diet, regular hair regrowth continued, according to the North American Menopause Society Journal.
As a result, more researchers have declared that women experiencing hair loss should be tested for mercury following the study.
However, experts at the Belgravia Centre in London have highlighted that tuna can be beneficial “as part of a balanced diet”.
Their clinic says that “tuna is known to be low-calorie, high in protein and vitamin B12 - deficiency of which can cause hair loss - omega 3s and selenium - an important mineral for the maintenance of healthy hair growth”.
Tuna can be beneficial as part of a balanced diet
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Echoing a similar sentiment, the NHS advises that “a healthy, balanced diet should include at least two portions of fish a week, including one of oily fish”.
However, for those who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant, “you should have no more than four cans of tuna a week or no more than two tuna steaks a week”.
“This is because tuna contains higher levels of mercury than other fish. If you are breastfeeding, there is no limit on how much tuna you can eat,” the NHS warns.
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