Intermittent fasting is quickly becoming one of the most popular dietary adjustments around the world. Less of a “diet” and more of a “dietary pattern,” intermittent fasting involves time-restricted eating. Participants allow themselves to eat for a portion of the day — maybe from noon to 7 p.m. — and fast for the rest of the day. And while intermittent fasting may be linked to lowered risk for conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, research also shows potential downsides. For example, a study published in the journal Cell reports that intermittent fasting may lead to slower hair growth in both human and animal models. Read on for more information on the study, which was recently outlined in Medical News Today.
Intermittent Fasting Shown to Slow Hair Growth
To explore the impact of intermittent fasting on hair growth, the research team worked with both mouse models and human models. Their findings suggested “an inhibitory effect of intermittent fasting on tissue regeneration,” specifically as it pertains to hair growth.
Applying Intermittent Fasting to Mouse Models
The researchers began with a mouse model. The mice were shaved to assess their hair growth. Then, they were fed according to one of two intermittent fasting patterns. They were compared to a control group, which had unlimited access to food.
After 90 days, scientists found the mice following intermittent fasting only had partial hair regrowth. The control group, however, had regrown most of its hair at the 30-day mark. This may be due to the hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) required for hair growth becoming overwhelmed by the oxidative stress of intermittent fasting. This oxidative stress occurs when the body switches from using glucose to fat as its main source of energy during the fasting windows.
Fasting and Human Hair Growth
Researchers then moved on to a small clinical trial of 49 healthy young adults. The subjects each followed the same intermittent fasting diet: 18 hours of fasting each day, with a feeding window in between. The diet resulted in a hair growth speed reduction of 18 percent when compared to control subjects.
Of course, the effects of fasting may be different for different people. Ultimately, more research is needed to understand the potential effects of fasting on tissue growth, including how it relates to hair growth. “We don’t want to scare people away from practicing intermittent fasting because it is associated with a lot of beneficial effects,” Bing Zang, PhD, the senior author of this study, said in a press release. “It’s just important to be aware that it might have some unintended effects. We plan to examine how this process affects the regeneration activities in other tissues. We also want to figure out how fasting impacts skin wound healing and identify metabolites that could help the survival of HFSCs and promote hair growth during fasting.”
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