• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Robert James Clinic

Holistic Hair Loss Solution | Robert James Clinic

To Request A Consultation Or Assistance Please Call or Book Online Below:

(310) 405-5922

Schedule Appointment
  • HAIR LOSS CONDITIONS
  • TREATMENTS
    • PRP THERAPY
    • COLD LASER THERAPY
  • MEDIA
    • BLOG
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT US
    • FAQ
  • STORE

Can Sugar Cause Hair Loss?

August 13, 2014

Can sugar cause hair loss?  We get this question quite often in our clinic.  First, there are various different sugars derived from different sources so let’s break them down.  Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose, fructose and galactose.  The common table sugar used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide.  In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.  Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose.

Sugars are found in the tissues of most plants, but are only present in sufficient concentrations of efficient extraction in sugarcane and sugar beet.  The average person consumes about 24 kilograms of sugar each year.  This averages out to about 260 food calories per person, per day.  In the later part of the twentieth century is was determined that an overabundance of refined sugars can cause disease.  It has been linked to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dementia, tooth decay and hair loss.

Studies on Sugar and Hair Loss

In 2000 Finnish researchers found that men with high blood pressure, insulin resistance, and obesity were a lot more likely to be bald.  This study suggests that a poor diet can trigger hair loss.  The number one factor for developing a resistance to insulin is a diet laden in sugar.

Researchers do not really know why a diet high in sugar and carbohydrates contributes to balding in men and women. When researchers examined if eating a healthy diet could reverse balding, they found that eliminating sugar and carbs was not enough to reverse damage that already occurred due to a diet high in sugar.

However, there is some research that supports the idea that switching to a healthy diet can prevent future hair loss. In 1928, explorer Karsten Anderson conducted the Bellevue Study. This study had the participants lock themselves inside a hospital and eat nothing but meat for a year. This was an extreme form of diet that contained zero carbohydrates.

Although eating meat only is not healthy for long-term use, this is one of the only studies that examined the role of carbohydrates and sugar in balding. At the end of the year, Anderson, who was balding at the start of the study, had not lost any additional hair.

One possibly theory for hair loss caused by sugar is a lack of protein. Hair is mainly protein, and if you do not have enough protein in your body, then your hair cannot grow effectively.

Another theory is that essential vitamins necessary for hair growth, like vitamin E, copper, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, and selenium, and other vitamins and trace minerals are simply not present in a sugar-based diet. With a lack of these ingredients, hair simply cannot engage in the proper ebb and flow that gives a person healthy hair.

Another possible theory is the idea that what you eat affects the hormone levels of your body. A diet high in sugar, chemicals, and inflammation-causing foods (carbs and omega 6 fats are highly inflaming) may cause a hormone imbalance. Without the right hormone balance, the body cannot produce the right hormones linked to the growth of healthy hair.

One common hormone that is linked with hair loss is DHT. DHT is a harsher form of testosterone (both men and women can have some levels of DHT) that causes the development of pubic hair, the onset of puberty in boys, and the enlargement of the prostate as a man ages. High levels of DHT contribute to hair loss.

A diet high in sugar and chemicals combined with a lack of vitamins makes it challenging for the body to control the production of DHT. A healthy diet eliminates excess DHT from the body so that it cannot cause hair loss.

References:

The Paleo Solution – Robb Wolf

Brenda Priddy with Progressive Health

Wiki – Sugar Studies

 

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

IN-CLINIC CONSULTATION

Schedule Appointment

SHOP THE COLLECTION

Request A Consultation

We'll contact you to set it up!
Your privacy and email address are safe with us!

Recent Posts

  • Oxidative Stress Impact on The Scalp
  • PRP Hair Growth Results
  • Quick & Precise Hair Detox
  • Genetic/Stress Induced Hair Growth Results
  • Female Pattern Hair Loss And What You Need To Know
  • Gray Hair and Baldness: Latest Hair Loss Stem Cell Research (May 2017)
  • Hair Thinning Due To Bad Habits
  • 2017 Best Hair Growth Diets
  • How Common is Postpartum Hair Loss?
  • What is Traction Alopecia?

About

Robert James Clinic is a Trichology and Hair Loss Center that exclusively specializes in hair growth from a holistic approach combining multiple therapies such as PRP® and LLLT.

Learn More

• Request A Consultation
• In-Clinic Program
• Home Program
• Shop Online

Robert James Clinic

9615 Brighton Way, Suite 414
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
info@RobertJamesClinic.com
Phone: (310)405.5922

Copyright © 2022 Robert James Clinic