I have been deceived by black sesame pills for too long! What is the real secret to growing long hair?

Recently, #Eating too many black sesame pills may aggravate hair loss# has become a hot topic, claiming that if you eat too many black sesame pills, it may increase oil secretion, cause a burden on weight and blood lipids, and not only will it not promote hair growth, but it will also aggravate hair loss.

▲Photo: Sina Weibo

This has caused many netizens to worry. They have already eaten a whole basket, so should they eat more?

For office workers, black sesame balls are a must-have snack in their drawers, not because they are delicious, but because people believe that eating them can help "grow hair."

Black sesame pills are made with black sesame as the main ingredient. There is a rumor that "black replenishes black", so many people choose to eat black sesame pills to achieve the purpose of dark hair, hair growth, and preventing hair loss. Some advertisements selling black sesame pills also promote it this way.

So, are black sesame pills just a waste of money? In this article, we will talk about black sesame pills and growing hair, and finally share with you the little secret of growing real hair.

1. Can eating black sesame pills make your hair darker?

Useless!

Many advertisements for black sesame pills claim that “black nourishes black, making hair black and thick”. This is the theory of “like replenishes shape, color replenishes color”, which has no evidence to support it and is unreliable.

▲Picture: E-commerce platform

The “black” color of food comes from the polyphenols such as anthocyanins, while the black color of hair comes from the melanin in the hair follicles[1]. If the melanin in the hair follicles decreases or the melanin cannot be transported to the hair normally, the hair will turn white.

The two are completely different things. The "black" of food cannot replenish hair. If the theory of "color replenishes color" is true, then why don't we worry about the skin getting darker? In the same way, the rumor that "black food can replenish kidney" is also a rumor without scientific basis.

2. Eating black sesame can promote hair growth and prevent hair loss

Outrageous!

A former colleague of mine suffered from hair loss and chose to seek help from "black sesame pills". The result was: after taking a pound of black sesame pills, his hair did not grow, but his fat increased significantly.

Some people may have questions: Can't the vitamin B2 contained in black sesame prevent seborrheic alopecia?

How naive! The vitamin B2 content of black sesame is only 0.25 g/100 g. [2] The daily vitamin B2 requirement for an average adult woman is 1.2 mg/day. If you want to meet this requirement by eating black sesame, you would have to eat 480 g of black sesame! This amount is a bit scary, isn’t it?

First: Can you eat it? Second: 480 grams of black sesame contains 2683 kcal!

You taste it, you taste it carefully~

What’s more, the black sesame pills available in the market are not filled entirely with black sesame seeds. They may also contain black bean powder, honey, and white sugar… You will definitely get fat before your hair grows!

3. The secret to really growing long hair

If you usually lose a lot of hair, the most important thing you should consider is to change your diet and lifestyle habits and do these 4 things!

The essence of hair is keratin, which is a type of protein. Lack of keratin can lead to poor hair quality, easy breakage, and increased hair loss.

At the same time, the melanin in the hair follicles that provides black color to the hair requires an amino acid called "tyrosine" as raw material to be synthesized. This raw material also comes from the decomposition of protein. If it is lacking, white hair will appear.

In addition, lack of iron, zinc, B vitamins, etc. can also affect the quality of hair.

Therefore, if you want your hair to be black and thick, the most important thing is to eat enough nutritious food. How to eat it specifically?

① Protein: If you want to get enough protein, you need meat, eggs, milk and beans. For example, eat 1 egg in the morning, eat palm-sized fish/seven or eight large shrimps/half fist of lean meat at noon, eat 5 mahjong-sized northern tofu in the evening, and drink 300-500 ml of milk.

② Iron: Hair loss caused by iron deficiency is very common among women [3]. To supplement iron, it is recommended to eat animal blood or animal liver 2 to 3 times a month. You can also eat razor clams. Eating about 50 grams (about 10 clams) can meet 84% of a woman’s daily iron needs.

③ Zinc: Zinc deficiency can cause hair to become brittle and dull[1]. Shellfish are rich in zinc, with scallops, ark shells, and oysters containing the highest levels of zinc.

④ B vitamins: If B vitamins are deficient, hair will become dry and easy to fall out. In particular, a deficiency of biotin (vitamin B7) can lead to skin and hair abnormalities. [4, 5] This nutrient is found in most foods, such as cereals, nuts, egg yolks, and animal offal.

In addition, don’t stay up late!!! Instead of worrying about becoming bald, you might as well worry about how to make your hair grow better and lose less.

So, do you still hope to prevent hair loss by taking black sesame pills?

References:

[1] Zhao Guang, Yang Wenxin. Recent research on melanocytes[J]. Southwest Military Medical Journal, 2013, (2): 177-181. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1672-7193.2013.02.023.

[2] Yang Yuexin. Chinese Food Composition Table 6th Edition Volume 1[M]. Peking University Medical Press, 2018

[3] "Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of alopecia areata in China (2019)"

[4] Sheng Youyu, Guo Xia, Xu Feng, et al. Study on the effect of iron deficiency on female pattern hair loss[C]. // Proceedings of the 2013 National Annual Conference on Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine for Dermatology and Venereology. 2013:113-113.

[5] Gu Jingfan, Du Shouyin, Guo Changjiang. Modern Clinical Nutrition, 2nd Edition[M]. Science and Technology Press, 2009