Intermittent fasting causes hair loss by increasing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation
-
Despite being all the rage these days on social media, intermittent fasting (IF) has now started to attract powerful opponents in the medical community. Several of the largest medical centers doing human research with IF, have published studies showing IF leads to loss of muscle mass (exceeding greatly the lost fat mass), sleep disturbances, mental illness, fertility issues, etc. As a result, several prominent medical doctors have come out with statements against doing IF unless all other options have been exhausted. One of the doctors who made such a statement also said he himself stopped practicing IF and stopped recommending it to his patients. Like all caloric restriction methods, IF is expected to deplete glycogen stores and when that happens the HPA axis activates and the body starts to consume nutrients (fatty acids and glucose) derived from catabolizing living tissue. Catabolizing fat tissue is what the proponents of IF are mostly after, despite virtually all studies to date demonstrating that muscle tissue is also lost during IF, usually in a ratio of 2:1 in “favor” of muscle tissue, which is a horrible outcome. Be that as it may, it looks like the catabolizing of fat tissue, through a process called lipolysis triggered by fasting, thus increasing fatty acid availability to tissues to use as energy through fatty acid oxidation (FAO), is also not a good idea. Virtually all of Ray’s articles have mentioned the detrimental effects of lipolysis/FAO in one context or another, and even medicine recognizes the negative role lipolysis/FAO plays in metabolic conditions such as diabetes. Elevated free fatty acids (whether from lipolysis or high-fat/low-carb diets) are known to be directly toxic to cells and have already been implicated in the damage of organs such as kidneys and liver even in people without chronic conditions such as diabetes. The study below now extends that toxicity/danger to hair follicles as well, demonstrating that the stress of fasting and subsequent cellular fatty acid abundance it triggers harms hair follicles and greatly inhibits the growth of hair. Logically, the study findings would imply that inhibiting lipolysis/FAO may be beneficial for hair growth. Or maybe, just maybe, don’t fast (or otherwise stress yourself) to start with.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04084-9
https://www.cell.com/cell/abstract/S0092-8674(24)01311-4
“…Intermittent fasting has gained global popularity for its potential health benefits, although its impact on somatic stem cells and tissue biology remains elusive. Here, we report that commonly used intermittent fasting regimens inhibit hair follicle regeneration by selectively inducing apoptosis in activated hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs). This effect is independent of calorie reduction, circadian rhythm alterations, or the mTORC1 cellular nutrient-sensing mechanism. Instead, fasting activates crosstalk between adrenal glands and dermal adipocytes in the skin, triggering the rapid release of free fatty acids into the niche, which in turn disrupts the normal metabolism of HFSCs and elevates their cellular reactive oxygen species levels, causing oxidative damage and apoptosis. A randomized clinical trial (NCT05800730) indicates that intermittent fasting inhibits human hair growth. Our study uncovers an inhibitory effect of intermittent fasting on tissue regeneration and identifies interorgan communication that eliminates activated HFSCs and halts tissue regeneration during periods of unstable nutrient supply.”
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/intermittent-fasting-may-slow-hair-growth-study
“…About 13% of Americans follow intermittent fasting, a dietary pattern featuring time-restricted eating in which one eats for a certain amount of time each day and fasts for the rest of the day. Over the last few years, researchers have found that intermittent fasting may offer health benefits such as lowered risk for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, past studies also show potential downsides to following this type of diet, such as a higher risk for gallstones, cardiovascular death, and colon cancerTrusted Source. Now, a new study recently published in the journal _Cell_Trusted Source reports that intermittent fasting may slow hair growth via both human and animal models.”
“…For this study, researchers began with a mouse model. The mice were shaved and then fed either one of two intermittent fasting patterns — 16:8 (eight hours eating, 16 hours fasting) or alternate-day fasting — or the control group that had unlimited access to food. Upon analysis, scientists found the mice following intermittent fasting only had partial hair regrowth after 90 days, compared to the control group that had regrown most of its hair after 30 days. Researchers believe this is happening because hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) required for hair growth cannot handle the oxidative stress caused by the body switching from using glucose to fat during intermittent fasting. Researchers had similar results when conducting a small clinical trial of 49 healthy young adults — following an intermittent fasting diet with 18 hours of fasting each day resulted in a hair growth speed reduction of 18% compared to controls who were eating a regular diet.”
“…MNT also spoke with Hans J. Schmidt, MD, chief of bariatric surgery and director of the Center for Weight Loss and Metabolic Health at Hackensack University Medical Center, about this research. “We frequently see some degree of hair loss in patients during a period of rapid weight loss, regardless of which method they use,” Schmidt explained. “These studies emphasize that the effects of intermittent fasting on hair follicle stem cells are independent of caloric reduction and circadian rhythm changes and other mechanisms may explain the hair loss in intermittent fasting regardless of weight loss,” Schmidt continued.”
-
This is either conspiracy of Big Powerful Opponents In The Medical Community, or the stressful side businesses of these mice.
-
@haidut said in Intermittent fasting causes hair loss by increasing lipolysis and fatty acid oxidation:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/intermittent-fasting-may-slow-hair-growth-study
Not readable without giving total access to tracking and advertisers. Limited access not functional.
When I'm not allowed to see the whole study and where it comes from, I have it thrown away. Vertical classification (=> trash bin).
