Vitamin E -- found something interesting.......

Hi Jena,You bring up a very interesting subject. There has been lots of controversy on the topic of hair health, genetics, and supplements. Some people say that supplements play no role, only genetics do. Others think that no matter what your genetical background, your intake of supplements will affect the way your body looks. My personal belief is that hair health depends on a combination of both genetics and food.>Sure, supplements will help a little bit, but genetics >plays a MUCH larger role.You are absolutely right. But a person who is not getting the proper nutrition will not have healthy hair no matter how "good" their genes are. However, a person with "good" genes will require less supplements than a person with "bad" genes in order to have nice hair. In a similar way, a person who does not have the genetics for perfect hair will benefit from supplements because their hair will reach its potential. This does not mean that vitamins and minerals will make grow 4 inches a month, thick, and with no split ends. All it meant is that it will be slightly (or for some people, a lot) healtier than it would have been otherwise.> "Consuming extra protein or amino acid preparations will >not promote hair growth.Consuming "extra" protein/amino acids won't do the body any good, asuming that the body already has as much as it needs. But most of us don't eat quite that healthy.Think about it. The body uses an X ampount of vitamins, minerals, and other goodies for various cellular functions. If a person is not getting enough of a certain vitamin/mineral, for example, protein, then the body has to decide where to send the little amouts of protein that it's getting. Hair is not as important as, let's say, muscle development, so the protein gets set to the muscle cells insted of the hair. But if the person begins to eat more protein, and the muscle cells are now getting enough of it, then the body can aford to send protein to other, less important areas, such as hair. The hair, which previously was not getting proper nourishment (protein IS important in hair growth), now gets to enjoy a good supply of protein. It makes sense that the hair begins to grow healthier than before. This is true of other supplements as well. So I don't understand how a "scientific" article can say that supplements will not affect the hair's health. Common sense along with the experiences of many people dictate otherwise. But like you said, genetics help even more than supplements!It is true what the article said about megadoses of Vitamin A being toxic, although I have never heard of anyone getting sick over Vitamin E. However, too much of anything is bad, not just Vitamins A and E. Doesn't mean that they are not healthy. Just means that you have to know the amount your body needs. Notice that the article was talking about "MEGAdoses." Amounts of 400-800IU of vitamin E daily are quite healthy; in fact, you probably don't need any more than that. But the way that the article said it, it sound almost as if vitamin E is dangerous and sould be avoided, where as your body does need it a lot. Just don't drink it by the glass, and you'll be fine:)Thanks for bringing this up. I find this subject fascinating, and I am always interested in people's opinions.Happy holidays,PD> http://hometown.aol.com/hairbook/secret.htm> Towards the bottom of the page, under "Diet and> your Hair,"> I quote:> "Consuming extra protein or amino acid> preparations will not promote hair growth. In fact,> there is evidence that megadoses of some> vitamins-particularly A and E may contribute to hair> loss."> I'm just doing more searching around for hair care> advice and thought this was interesting, since I've> heard others tout quite the opposite.> The more I read the more I'm convinced that having a> great-looking head of hair is like having a perfectly> sculpted body. Sure, supplements will help a little> bit, but genetics plays a MUCH larger role. The sad> part is that often guys with great-looking bodies> sometimes got that way largely through genetics and> really aren't the ones who are the experts to give> advice. The same with hair -- some women with> gorgeous, healthy hair aren't necessarily the experts> when it comes to knowing what is truly good for the> hair. That's absolutely directed towards no one in> particular, but I've heard some very long-haired> ladies say that they rarely trim their hair and take> little or no particular care in their choice of hair> care or products. Although it's tempting to take their> advice because of their great-looking hair, others who> try the same approach may end up with drastically> different results!> FWIW,> Jena