Studies done on both Mice and Humans show that intermittent fasting is linked with slow hair growth.
In the mouse model, the mice were shaved and then fed either one of two intermittent fasting patterns — 16:8 (eight hours eating, 16 hours fasting) or alternate-day fasting — or the control group that had unlimited access to food.
Upon analysis, scientists found the mice following intermittent fasting only had partial hair regrowth after 90 days, compared to the control group that had regrown most of its hair after 30 days.
Researchers believe this is happening because hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) required for hair growth cannot handle the oxidative stress caused by the body switching from using glucose to fat during intermittent fasting.
In the human model with healthy young adults — following an intermittent fasting diet with 18 hours of fasting each day resulted in a hair growth speed reduction of 18% compared to controls who were eating a regular diet.
Mice also have a very high metabolic rate compared with humans, so fasting and metabolic switching have a more severe effect on mouse HFSCs. We see a milder effect in humans — there are still apoptotic stem cells, but many HFSCs survive. So, there is still hair regrowth; it’s just a little bit slower than usual.
PS: Past studies also show that intermittent fasting could have downsides such as a higher risk for gallstones, cardiovascular death, and colon cancer.
Note: The researchers also state that -
"We don't want to scare people away from practicing intermittent fasting because it is associated with a lot of beneficial effects-; it's just important to be aware that it might have some unintended effects"
In the mouse model, the mice were shaved and then fed either one of two intermittent fasting patterns — 16:8 (eight hours eating, 16 hours fasting) or alternate-day fasting — or the control group that had unlimited access to food.
Upon analysis, scientists found the mice following intermittent fasting only had partial hair regrowth after 90 days, compared to the control group that had regrown most of its hair after 30 days.
Researchers believe this is happening because hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs) required for hair growth cannot handle the oxidative stress caused by the body switching from using glucose to fat during intermittent fasting.
In the human model with healthy young adults — following an intermittent fasting diet with 18 hours of fasting each day resulted in a hair growth speed reduction of 18% compared to controls who were eating a regular diet.
Mice also have a very high metabolic rate compared with humans, so fasting and metabolic switching have a more severe effect on mouse HFSCs. We see a milder effect in humans — there are still apoptotic stem cells, but many HFSCs survive. So, there is still hair regrowth; it’s just a little bit slower than usual.
PS: Past studies also show that intermittent fasting could have downsides such as a higher risk for gallstones, cardiovascular death, and colon cancer.
Note: The researchers also state that -
"We don't want to scare people away from practicing intermittent fasting because it is associated with a lot of beneficial effects-; it's just important to be aware that it might have some unintended effects"
