If your hair is growing slower than you'd like, your diet may have something to do with it.
A new study from Westlake University in Zhejiang, China, found that intermittent fasting can significantly reduce Hair growth In humans.
Intermittent fasting involves a short period of eating throughout the day, most commonly an eight-hour period of eating and 16 hours of fasting.
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Research has shown that intermittent fasting can help with this Weight loss and managementAnd heart health and memory, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
But researchers have discovered that it may have some unwanted side effects, such as Chinese study He stated that some intermittent fasting diets have been shown to “inhibit hair follicle regeneration” in mice.
The mice analyzed in the study were shaved and followed different intermittent fasting schedules.
The group that followed a normal eating schedule grew their hair back after 30 days, according to a BBC Science Focus analysis. The group that fasted showed partial hair growth after 96 days.
The study, published in the journal Cell by Cell Press, concluded that extended fasting activates the adrenal glands, which then halt tissue regeneration during “periods of unstable nutrient supply.”
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This is also caused by stress hair follicle stem cells, BBC reported. These follicles “died” in the intermittent fasting group after long periods of fasting.
While the study found that mice saw improved metabolic health and slower hair regeneration, the effects may not be the same in humans, who have a slower metabolic rate and different hair growth patterns.
In follow up Human clinical trialsThe researchers studied 49 healthy young men who followed a regimen of fasting for 18 hours a day.
It was found that this timing reduces hair growth by 18%.
Dr. Brendan Camp, a New York-based dermatologist at MDCS Dermatology, emphasized how this “small animal study” suggests that fasting can affect the hair follicle growth cycle.
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“The metabolic changes associated with fasting may put some pressure on hair growth, slowing it down,” Camp, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital.
“It is hypothesized that the oxidative stress that develops during fasting — when the body switches from metabolizing fats instead of glucose — hinders hair growth.”
To promote hair growth, Camp suggests making some shifts in your diet, focusing on Vitamins and nutrients Such as iron, selenium, zinc, biotin, folate, and vitamin D.
“(This) can prevent nutritional deficiencies that can contribute to hair loss,” he said.
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The dermatologist warned that “crash” or fad diets, or even diseases that lead to significant weight loss in a short period of time, can lead to the development of a condition called “telogen effluvium.”
“In this case, a large amount of hair loss occurs in response to some type of hair loss Health event“Whether it's a physical illness or a major stressful life event.”
The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province, the Westlake Laboratory of Life Sciences and Biomedicine, the Research Center for Future Industries (RCIF), and the Center for Synthetic Biology and Integrated Bioengineering. at Westlake University, according to a news release.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the study's authors for comment.
