Consumption of sugary drinks may be associated with male pattern hair loss
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Key takeaways:
- Those with vs. without male pattern hair loss consumed twice the number of sugary drinks.
- Frequent consumption of sugary drinks increased the likelihood of male pattern hair loss incidence by 3.36 times.
The consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and artificially sweetened drinks may be linked to male pattern hair loss, according to a study.
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are defined as sweetened juice beverages, soft drinks, energy and sports drinks, sweetened milk, sweetened nut milk, sweetened tea beverages and sweetened tea and coffee.
According to this study, 63% of youth and 49% of adults in the U.S. drink one of these SBSs on any given day. Similarly in China, where this study took place, individuals aged 13 to 29 years represent the largest population of SSB consumers at 22.38%.
Since the incidence of male pattern hair loss has been increasing in recent years while the age of onset continues to decrease, SSBs could be playing a role, according to Ai Zhao, PhD, assistant professor at the Vanke School of Public Health at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and colleagues.
“There have been many previous studies focusing on the impact of high-fat diet on [male pattern hair loss], but less attention has been paid to the intake of added sugar, especially the intake of sugary drinks,” Zhao told Healio. “Our results supported that excessive consumption of sugary beverages increases the risk of [male pattern hair loss].”
The study included 1,028 men (mean age, 27.8 years) — 42.4% without male pattern hair loss and 57.6% with male pattern hair loss — who completed a self-reported online survey about their hair loss patterns, dietary habits and sociodemographic statuses.
The questionnaire showed that those with male pattern hair loss consumed an average of 4,293 mL of sugary drinks — nearly twice the 2,513 mL consumed by those without male pattern hair loss (P < .001).
The male pattern hair loss group also reported drinking SSBs at a much higher frequency of more than seven times a week compared with the group without male pattern hair loss (68.8% vs. 31.2%; P < .001). Compared with those that never drank SSBs, frequent SSBs drinkers were 3.36 times more likely to have male pattern hair loss (95% CI, 2.22-5.09).
This correlation remained significant after adjusting for many confounders, including age; level of education; smoking status; alcohol intake; BMI; disease and family history; hair dyeing, perming, bleaching and relaxing; amount of sleep; physical activity; and amount of nutrient intake. However, the correlation became insignificant after adjusting for rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (OR = 1.57; 95% CI, 0.94-2.64).
Nevertheless, the authors found that there are significant associations between SSB intake frequency and anxiety disorder, and between anxiety disorder and male pattern hair loss. For example, the study refers to a meta-analysis that showed those who drink the equivalent of three cans of cola per day have an approximately 25% higher risk for depression than those who do not drink SBS.
“We also explored the impact of different beverage types on [male pattern hair loss],” Zhao continued, “and found that all kinds of artificial sweetener beverages can also increase the risk of [male pattern hair loss] to varying degrees, which indicated that artificial sweetener drinks might not be used as a substitute for sugary drinks to prevent hair loss.”
As a result, the authors emphasized that the consumption of not only SSBs, but also drinks with artificial sweeteners, needs to be taken more seriously by clinicians.