A new study has found that intermittent fasting, a common weight-loss regimen, can stunt hair growth. Researchers studied mice and humans and discovered that the stress response triggered by fasting can kill hair-follicle stem cells. The study’s findings suggest that dieting can affect hair regrowth, which is influenced by stress levels.
The researchers used two types of intermittent-fasting regimens on mice: time-restricted eating and alternate-day fasting. After three months, they found that the dieting mice had not grown as much hair as control animals. The study’s results were confirmed when further experiments showed that intermittent fasting disrupts the metabolism of hair-follicle stem cells.
However, applying an antioxidant cream before and during the diet prevented stunting of hair growth, indicating that this effect is not inevitable. The study provides insight into how dieting can affect our bodies and suggests that weight-loss regimens may have unintended consequences on our appearance.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-04084-9