Healthy Eating: Sugary Drinks May Cause Hair Loss In Males
Male pattern hair loss (MPHL) is a non-scarring form of hair loss that progresses over time. It has been noticed that these days, the age of the onset of MPHL has been decreasing while its incidence has been on the increase. Now, multiple studies claim there is a link between western-style dietary intake and MPHL. Keep reading to find out more.
Very recently, a new Nutrients Journal study looked into the link between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and MPHL in young males in China. Having MPHL affects many aspects of a person’s life including overall self-confidence, and physical health.
Experts believe that there are a number of factors that contribute to it. Some include sleep time, anxiety, genetics, age, and body mass index. According to research, increasing the quantities of added sugar in western diets is linked to MPHL.
Young populations are said to drink higher volumes of SSBs, like juice, soft drinks, energy drinks, or sweet tea/coffee on any given day. According to statistics, 49% of adults and 63% of youth in the USA consume an SSB in one day. The same can be said of those in China where SSB consumption is highest among those within the 13-29 age bracket (22.38%).
Frequent consumption of SSB has been linked to a number of health problems including tooth decay, obesity, and emotional issues. However, there are only a few epidemiological studies on the association between MPHL and SSB consumption, especially among the young populace.
The latest research on the subject was carried out from January to April of 2022 in mainland China and it involved 1,951 men between the ages of 18 and 45 from 31 provinces. It studied the link between the amount/frequency of SSB consumption and MPHL.
The researchers found a significant link between high SSB intake and MPHL. The high sugar content in the SSBs triggers activities that eventually reduce the amount of glucose available to the outer root sheath keratinocytes of hair follicles and this leads to MPHL.
High sugar consumption usually goes hand in hand with high lipid intake, and MPHL is known to be caused by a high-fat diet. The phenomenon has been demonstrated in animal research on mice. However, the link between SSBs and MPHL was still significant even after the consumption of oils, fat and deep-fried food were adjusted.
This suggested that SSB is an independent factor associated with MPHL. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was also noted to be associated with MPHL. After controlling for PTSD, the link between SSB consumption and MPHL was no longer of consequence. This suggested that PTSD is a more important factor leading to MPHL than SSB intake.
