Diet and Body Focused Repetitive Behaviours (BFRBs)
Food is central to all areas of health and affects human behaviour. Diet and BFRBs are linked because what we eat sends messages to our DNA to alter gene expression. Diet and trichotillomania are connected because food is essential for overall health and can impact body-focused repetitive behaviours (BFRBs) such as skin picking, nail biting, and hair pulling. Introducing healthy eating tips for diet and BFRBs will improve life overall and help to reduce problem behaviours.
Healthy Eating Tips for Diet and BFRBs
- Protein: Protein is a key consideration for those who chew on nails, eat their skin after picking or eat hair roots because these are made up of proteins.
Holistic Help for BFRBs
- Stimulants: Reducing intake of sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and glucose syrup may alleviate urges.
Carbohydrates: A diet heavy in carbs can slow the activity of BDNF, a protein supporting brain health. Cutting down, not out, carbs and sugars can be helpful.
Diet is a much-debated part of the BFRB conundrum. We can track the diet-hair-pulling conversation only as far as the late 90s, when John Kender eliminated certain foods from his hair pulling daughter’s diet, to see which foods increased her urges to pull her hair. Since then many others have kept detailed food diaries, testing certain foods against their urges, with varying results.
Research and Personal Experiences
More scientific research is needed on diet’s effects on BFRBs, but many find that dietary changes can reduce urges. Keeping a food diary and eliminating certain foods for a trial period can help identify triggers.
Here at Trichotillomania Support we nourish the individual, not the disorder. We believe anyone can stop pulling and everyone’s method will be different.
Recommendations
- Eliminate trigger foods: Try removing potential triggers like sugar for three months, then reintroduce them gradually while keeping notes on any changes in urges.
- Holistic approach: Combining dietary changes with other treatments like therapy, exercise, and stress management can be beneficial.
Reducing BFRBS with healthy eating habits is not just a pipe dream. Lifestyle changes such as diet have helped many reduce their urges. Eating certain foods can noticeably increase urges to pull hair; the most common culprits being stimulants such as sugar, glucose syrup, alcohol and caffeine. Many state that reducing their intake of these can alleviate urges, making them more manageable.
A diet heavy in carbohydrates, slows the activity of the gene source of protective protein Brain-Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF). BDNF improves and supports brain health.
Should I cut out carbohydrates if I have a BFRB?
No, it is not recommended to cut OUT carbohydrates, but cutting them down and not overloading on sugars is often helpful.
Research has shown that changes in diet affect body focused behaviours such as biting out fur and skin scratching in mice. Diet affects brain chemistry (particularly serotonin, which affects our mood), and dietary changes can also reduce abnormal behaviour in humans. The effects of diet on trichotillomania are not clear-cut and there is little research into this. It is hard to research people’s diet in general and people experience different results after eating certain foods.
It may be possible to stop picking just by changing your diet. Taking the time to read through our diet section will certainly help. Diet alone is most successful with children. Adults tend to benefit from BFRB education and coaching, such as video chat or coaching (which can be done by email or text message alone, if you can not be pinned down to appointments or have social anxiety). Do contact us for more information on this.
Conclusion
Diet alone might not be a cure for BFRBs, but it can be part of a comprehensive treatment plan. Consult with healthcare professionals before making significant dietary changes.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7599709/ (accessed 25 June 2024)
https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-244X-5-37 (accessed 25 June 2024)
Peer reviewed 25 June 2024 -next review date 16 June 2026