Eating Less Could Reduce Your Hair Loss, New Study Finds

Whether you’ve found your once thick hair a little thinner or noticed bald patches on your scalp, millions of people struggle with hair loss every year. While there are treatments, many of which are expensive and invasive, that promise to restore thinning hair, new research suggests there may be an easier way to help reduce hair loss.

Read on to find out how your diet could be contributing to your hair loss. And if you want to improve your health fast, check out the 7 Healthiest Foods to Eat right now.

A 2021 study published in the journal Nature reveals that among a group of mice fed either a high fat diet or a standard diet, those fed a high fat diet were more likely to experience thinning and hair loss.

“A diet high in fat accelerates hair thinning by [hair follicle stem cells] which replenish the mature cells that grow hair, especially in older mice, ”explains Hironobu Morinaga, Ph.D., the lead author of the study, in a press release.

In fact, it didn’t take long for the high fat diet to have a profound effect on animal hair and skin. In just four days, researchers were able to observe changes in the hair and skin of mice fed a high-fat diet, as well as signs of increased oxidative stress, which has also been linked to tissue damage and increased risk of cancer.

This isn’t the first time that research has found an association between weight, diet, and hair loss. A 2013 study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology found that among a group of 189 men with an average age of 30.8 years, those who were overweight or obese were significantly more likely to suffer from severe alopecia than their normal-weight counterparts.

However, just because you’ve been carrying a few extra pounds or been on a high fat diet for a while doesn’t mean that hair loss is inevitable.

A 2018 study published in Scientific reports found that in mice fed a high-fat Western-style diet, taking a drug that inhibited the production of glycosphingolipids (GSL), a type of lipid found in cell membranes, helped reverse both hair loss and loss of hair pigmentation.

“Our results show that a Western diet causes hair loss, hair bleaching, and skin inflammation in mice, and we believe a similar process occurs in men who lose their hair and bleach their hair. hair when following a diet high in fat and cholesterol, ”the study’s lead author explained. Subroto Chatterjee, Ph.D., professor of pediatrics and medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in a statement.

For more ways to help your locks regain their old luster, check out the Best Supplements for Your Hair, According to Dietitians, and for the latest healthy eating news delivered straight to your inbox, subscribe. to our newsletter!