A study has found that intermittent fasting slows down the rate of hair growth.
The research examining the effects of intermittent fasting on hair growth was published in Cell.
Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern in which food is consumed only during specific periods of the day while fasting during the remaining hours. Statistics show that approximately 13% of Americans practice intermittent fasting.
Over the past few years, research has revealed that intermittent fasting can help reduce the risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it also has drawbacks, such as an increased risk of gallstones and colorectal cancer.
Researchers investigated the impact of intermittent fasting on hair growth through studies conducted on mice models and human participants.
In the mouse experiment, they limited the mice’s feeding time to 8 hours. They then compared the hair regrowth rate of these mice with a control group that could eat at any time. The results showed that the intermittent fasting group took 90 days to regrow hair—a rate three times slower than the control group.
In the human study, 49 healthy young adults followed an 18-hour daily fasting cycle. The findings revealed that those practicing intermittent fasting experienced an 18% reduction in hair growth speed compared to the control group on a regular diet.
The researchers explained that hair growth relies heavily on the role of hair follicle stem cells (HFSC). Oxidative stress, which arises when fat is used as the primary energy source during fasting, impairs the function of these stem cells. Based on these findings, intermittent fasting slows down hair growth.
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