Healthy growing hair needs nourishment, growth depends on the constant division of the cells surrounding the papillae. The newly formed cells must then change shape and become keratinised as they travel along the hair follicle.
THE MATERIALS REQUIRED FOR THE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF HEALTHY HAIR ARE BROUGHT TO THE HAIR PAPILLA BY THE BLOOD.
These materials include products of the digestion of the food we eat and the air we breathe in OXYGEN. Concluding that the nourishment of hair involves the respiratory system, the digestive system and the BLOOD SYSTEM.
The materials required for the nutrition of hair are GLUCOSE AND OXYGEN. The dividing cells in the germinal matrix require a supply of energy to enable various chemical reactions to take place, inside the cells. This energy is produced when oxygen from the air we breathe reacts chemically with glucose. This chemical reaction is an oxidation process, since it involves the addition of oxygen to the glucose.
Glucose is a white crystalline monosaccharide sugar that has several optically active forms. The most abundant being dextrose, a major energy source in metabolism. Glucose is obtained mainly from the digestion of carbohydrate foods (sugars and starches), but may also be obtained by the breakdown of fats from any non-essential amino acid.
The process of oxidising the glucose would take place Very slowly if group B vitamins were not present. These vitamins increase the rate of the chemical reaction, Without being changed themselves. Other vitamins and minerals also play a major part in the growth of hair, vitamin A affects the formation of keratin, vitamin C is necessary to make the cementing materials between cells. The mineral element iron is required to form red Cells which Carry oxygen in the blood. Mature hair Consists mainly of the protein keratin, which like other proteins are an essential constituent of all living organisms, is built up from smaller units called amino acids. During digestion, protein foods such as milk, fish, eggs and meat are broken down into amino acids. THESE ARE CIRCULATED IN THE BLOOD STREAM, sorted out and re-arranged to be built up into keratin in the cells of the hair. Thus, the nutrition of hair depends on the food we eat, that must be digested and on the air We breathe. To maintain health We must have a daily supply of proteins (meat, eggs, fish, cheese, peas, beans, soya beans, nuts, vegetable proteins and animal proteins) in order to build new cells e.g. new hair, nails and skin cells, protein may also produce energy. There is very little danger or lack of these in the U.K. diets. A lack can cause stunted growth, blotchy skin, poor thin hair and loss of hair colour. We need Carbohydrates to provide energy, minerals like calcium, which we get from milk or cheese to build strong teeth and bones and stop you from getting rickets. Iron obtained from egg yolk, liver and green vegetables, to build up haemoglobin for red Cells, which carry oxygen, with anaemia resulting in deficiency, vitamin A vital for correct functioning of the retina of the eyes, also prevent keratin from forming in the lining of the nose and throat and on the front of the eyebrows. dairy produce, margarine, liver, carrots and fish contain the essential vitamin which deters blindness, dry nose leading to infection. Keratin plugs in the follicles of the upper arms and legs.
Lack of vitamin B affects nerves, skin and the digestion of food, these are obtained from Cereals, meats, liver, oranges, black currants and green vegetables are full of vitamin C, to build the Cementing material between cells and help with the absorption of iron. l suffered myself from a lack of these while Working at a holiday Camp, after about four months my gums would bleed all the time. Also Causes scurvy, loose teeth, bruising and poor healing of Wounds.
Vitamin D, which is a must to ensure the building of strong teeth and bone, source of this Can be provided by dairy goods, also made in the skin by the action of sunlight. Our bodies are built larger from proteins which are complex substances Comprising long chains of amino acids. Some of these amino acids are made by the body, but others have to be obtained by the breakdown of proteins in our food. It is generally Considered that each day We require one gram of protein food for each kilogram of body Weight. For an average man this means some seventy grams of protein.
THE DIGESTION OF FOOD
Digestion is necessary to break down foods into simple substances, which can be absorbed into the bloodstream. In the mouth food is chewed or masticated, by the action of the jaws and teeth and is mixed with saliva. Mastication renders the food small enough to be swallowed and allows saliva to mix thoroughly with it. The alimentary canal, where digestion takes place, starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. Food in the mouth is swallowed and is then moved through the alimentary canal by the action of the muscles in the wall of the gut. Food is broken down by the churning movement of the stomach.
The main breakdown however, is by chemical action brought about by organic enzymes or catalysts secreted by the walls of the digestive tract itself. Digestion is aided by the liver, pancreas and salivary glands. Each digestive enzyme will only act on one type of nutrient. Pepsin is an enzyme which acts on proteins, breaking long chain molecules into shorter lengths. Renin is an enzyme which acts on soluble protein of milk, a protein which cannot be acted on by pepsin. Digestion begins in the mouth, continues in the stomach and the small intestine and is completed in the lower part of the small intestine, the ileum. The digested food is then absorbed through the walls of the ileum and enters the fine blood vessels, which surround the ileum wall.
The surface area of the inner lining of the small intestine is greatly increased by means of folds bearing tiny projections called Villi, which extend like hairs on a carpet. These projections cover the whole lining, there are over five million of them, which are constantly lengthening, shortening and swaying as they come into contact with digested food.
Within the villi are blood and lymph vessels, into which the product of digestion are absorbed. Simple sugars (glucose, fructose and galactose) from carbohydrate digestion and amino acid digestion pass into the blood system and are passed along the portal vein into the liver. This vital organ controls the food content in the blood. Storing surplus sugar as glycogen and breaking down unwanted amino acids. Blood leaving the liver has a constant composition. Blood carries the products of digestion to the heart, which circulates them to all parts of the body e.g. the Scalp.
The indigestible part of food passes into the large intestine where Water is absorbed. The remainder is passed out of the body through the anus.
