From the study
A study published in ‘Nutrients’ journal in January 2023 has examined the sugar consumption habits of nearly 2000 men aged between 18 and 45 and determined that men who drink a lot of high sugar drinks are more likely to lose their hair.
We explored the associations between the amount/frequency of sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and male pattern hair loss (MPHL) by using a binary logistic regression model, with adjustments for sociodemographic, hair status, dietary intake, lifestyle, and psychological factors. Among the 1028 participants (27.8 ± 7.2 years) in the final analysis, we found that high SSB consumption is associated with a higher risk of MPHL
Source
According to this study there is a correlation between sugar consumption and hair loss.
That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a causal correlation however.
It’s possible for example that men who drink a lot of sugary drinks also have more stressful lives, or that they suffer greater symptoms from the stressors they experience. Or it might be that men who consume more sugary drinks also lead more unhealthy lives overall.
But does that even matter?
I recently posted an article in which I suggested homeless men rarely lose their hair. You may have noticed that yourself. Take a look at some homeless people in your local area and you may notice they often have thick hair.
You would think that homeless people would experience more hair loss than everyone else because of terrible diets, high consumption of toxins and extreme stress. But what I suggest is that it’s not the stress itself that causes hair loss, it’s the way in which some people deal with stress very badly, causing more severe physical symptoms. Whereas homeless people—it stands to reason—are generally not badly affected by stressors, otherwise they would have been so stressed by the possibility of becoming homeless that they would have done anything they could to avoid it and therefore they would not be homeless.
Anyway, that’s an aside. Let’s get back to the point.
Why exactly might consuming more sugar cause hair loss?
We’ve already established that there’s not necessarily a causal correlation between high sugar consumption and hair loss — hence homeless people who have terrible diets, high in sugar, rarely lose their hair. However, consuming sugar does impact two things:
1. It causes hormonal spikes (of insulin and even stress hormones); and
2. It can cause poor gut health…
The obvious answer to this problem is to cut down on sugary food and drinks. However, there’s more to it than that.
Following a high sugar diet may negatively affect your gut’s microbiome — the healthy bacteria in your intestines. This in itself could impact your hair and skin health.
If you’re interested in learning more about that, check out this Belgravia article on gut health and hair loss.
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Whats the best shampoo for hair loss? So, what’s my advice?
- Cut down on sugar, or even cut out refined sugar from your diet completely
- Start consuming a large amount of fresh green leafy fibrous vegetables everyday (spinach, kale, etc) to feed your good gut bacteria
- Take a probiotic supplement
- Start practising daily calmness exercises
What can you do to restore the hair you’ve lost?
I recommend using a topical like the Growth Factors serum, which contains Minoxodil, Sandalore, Valproic Acid, Melatonin and Adenosine, among other great ingredients.
