It's perplexing at first to think how absorbing more iron could lead to hair loss.

After all, iron is one of the most critical minerals for making hair. The body needs iron to make red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen to every organ and body part that needs it, including your hair follicles.

If you're short on iron, you'll be short on red blood cells. If you're short on red blood cells, you'll be short on oxygen.

What happens then? Your body "channels its available supply to your vital organs to keep them alive, rather than to your hair follicles. Without oxygen, your hair follicles cease to function properly, and your hair may fall out," say trichologists (hair and scalp specialists).

When you read that, you may think more iron is always better.

However, too much iron is toxic, writes Claire Collins, Professor in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Newcastle. "Excess iron gets deposited in your organs, and this then interferes with normal body functions, as well as the production of hormones that regulate your metabolism and sex drive. Not surprisingly, you don’t feel well."

As anyone with hemochromatosis knows, iron overload is equally as dangerous as iron deficiency.

Iron overload has no boundaries - it damages organs like your liver, pancreas, heart, and intestines. It disrupts body functions like circulation, digestion, and hormone production.

Iron overload, just as much as iron deficiency, can make you lose your hair. In fact, up to 60% of people with hemochromatosis experience hair loss.

Unfortunately, no significant research has been done that clearly shows us why we lose our hair. Hemochromatosis affects multiple body organs and body systems (and the affected organs and systems can differ for each individual) so several factors may be involved. Below I've outlined some known causes of hair loss and demonstrated how hemochromatosis could potentially be the trigger.

OXIDATIVE DAMAGE

Oxidative damage in the skin and scalp advances aging hair and hair loss.

Oxidative damage is one of the most well-documented outcomes of iron overload. Oxidative damage occurs when excess iron reacts with oxygen and other elements in your body. This reaction damages your cells and sets off a chain reaction that harms many more of your cells, bringing on "physical change and deterioration" to your body according to Dr. Eric Lewis.

GUT PROBLEMS

Hemochromatosis is tied to "microbiota dysbiosis" - where the equilibrium of bacteria in the body becomes unbalanced. Excess iron absorbed by the gut allows bad bacteria to proliferate in the GI tract, including the mouth, intestines, and the colon.

A disturbance in your body's bacterial population can also disrupt the state of the hair on your head. Dermatologist Elizabeth Bahar Houshmand, MD says:

"Hair growth does not only take place in the scalp...when the microbiome is in balance, it can also help to decrease the bad bacteria that can lead to hair loss and thinning."

Wilma Bergfeld, MD has the same opinion, saying anything that disrupts your GI tract can also affect hair growth.

FEELING STRESSED OUT

Coping with the health issues arising from iron overload can be a very stressful experience, and many people with hemochromatosis list "anxiety" as one of their symptoms. Interesting, as mental stress can bring about hair loss. Here's how:

• Cortisol. When you're stressed, your adrenal glands produce a hormone called cortisol. Cortisol sends a signal to your hair follicles to transition from a growing phase into a resting phase, and within a few months these hair strands will fall out.
• Hair pulling. Some people unconsciously pick at or pull out their hair when they feel stressed out. This habit can become such an engrained psychological reaction to stress that they pull so much hair out they start to go bald.

BLOOD FLOW

Not getting enough blood flow to the skin may cause hair loss.

Hemochromatosis can interfere with your blood circulation. The National Organization for Rare Disorders says, "Eventually, affected individuals may experience a limited ability to circulate blood to the lungs and the rest of the body..." and Mayo Clinic notes, "excess iron in your heart affects the heart's ability to circulate enough blood for your body's needs."

PITUITARY PROBLEMS 

Hormonal imbalances created by problems with the pituitary gland are linked to hair loss.

Hemochromatosis can impair the pituitary gland. According to NORD, in a person with hemochromatosis, "the pituitary may fail to produce sufficient amounts of some or all of the hormones it normally produces" resulting in reduced body hair.

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION

The pituitary gland plays a part in the body's endocrine system, along with the thyroid and pancreas. Both the thyroid and pancreas can also be disabled by iron overload, and endocrine dysfunction can occur in hemochromatosis patients, leading to hair loss, as the endocrine system has several important functions in regulating hair growth.

SEX ORGAN HORMONES

Hemochromatosis can also hinder the functioning of the testes and ovaries. Some men can end up with underactive testes and some women with underactive ovaries. In these cases, "the testes and ovaries fail to produce sufficient sex hormones."

When men's testes fail to produce enough testosterone, men can lose their hair.

"Estrogen has been hypothesized to have a protective role against hair loss," according to researchers, so lower levels of estrogen produced by women's ovaries may also lead to hair loss.

LIVER DISEASE

Liver disease precipitates hair loss.

If you have hemochromatosis, your doctor has probably talked to you about keeping your liver healthy because the liver - whose job is to filter out all of your high iron blood - is the most commonly damaged organ resulting from iron overload. Liver function abnormalities occur in up to 75% of people with hemochromatosis. You're much more likely to develop liver disease than a "normal" person.