Hair loss is also known as alopecia or baldness, it can be caused by a number of factors, including hormones, medications, diet, stress, genetics, and hormonal imbalances. One of these underlying causes is obesity. Obese people are often due to the accumulation of fat in their body which leads to an increased level of insulin that can interfere with other essential hormones that are crucial for hair growth.

Fat also produces a male sex hormone called testosterone which indirectly affects hair growth. Men who have a higher level of testosterone have a greater possibility of baldness. Hair loss can be caused by genetic factors, stress, and diet. 

According to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, women with diabetes as children had a significant increase in hair loss as opposed to those without diabetes. In addition, women who were stressed as teenagers had more bald spots later on.

The researchers found that stress can be linked to hair loss which is solely caused by genetics. Hair loss can also be caused by hormonal imbalances. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that women with polycystic ovary syndrome were more likely to suffer from hair loss than those who did not have the syndrome. When you are constantly stressed, you will experience more breakage of hair, and this will cause hair loss.

Does Obesity Cause Hair Loss?

Obesity, however, is not a direct cause of hair loss. Obesity-related behaviors and lifestyle choices, on the other hand, have an impact on hair growth. With only a few modest lifestyle modifications, people with obesity may experience an improvement in their hair growth!

Approximately 30 million Americans, or roughly 17% of the population, are considered obese. People who are overweight and those who are obese tend to be at a higher risk for hair loss as well as another physical diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Obesity is often mistakenly thought to be a direct cause of hair loss due to genetics or hormonal abnormalities. However, if this condition was caused by obesity alone, then all people with obesity would exhibit this same effect. In reality, hair loss in an obese person is caused by a combination of physical and behavioral factors.

The change in body composition associated with obesity is responsible for these changes. As body fat increases, the normal function of the hormonal system is disrupted. This disruption includes changes to hormone levels and activity in the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, decreases in testosterone levels, and changes in steroid hormone metabolism.

3 Ways To Avoid Loss Hair By Obesity

A little exercise helps

In today’s society, many individuals lead sedentary lifestyles. It’s difficult to get adequate exercise because of the demands of demanding employment and growing computer usage. However, even a small amount of activity may make a significant impact on your hair. Exercise increases blood flow to the scalp and other peripheral regions, which helps to maintain the health of your hair follicles. Don’t worry if you don’t have time to go to the gym for many hours each day.

Simple, incremental modifications in your health and hair development lead to major gains over time. Choose a simple activity that you can do every day, such as parking at the rear of the grocery store or walking to the end of the block and back after work. Even little modifications will help you maintain your hair healthy, and you may see beneficial results all over!

Reduce your stress

Obesity is being linked to stress by a growing body of data. Hair loss may be the first physical indicator of chronic stress since elevated stress levels pose a challenge to the whole body. You don’t have to stay in a high-stress job if you don’t want to. Instead, incorporate some physical exercise or set aside some time to unwind. Yoga, meditation, or engaging in a pastime you like may help you handle even the most stressful circumstances by lowering your stress hormones and allowing you to discover good methods to deal with them. For more information about this topic, take a look at our article, which discusses the recent findings.

Hair loss is one of the most common complaints in men and women today. Untreated, it can make it difficult to maintain confidence and even lead to severe emotional disturbances or depression. Some hair loss cases may be a genetic predisposition, but many other cases are caused by various factors that work together overwhelmingly to cause hair loss.

Hormones

Obesity creates various hormone imbalances that contribute to hair loss, in addition to stress hormones. Taking minor measures to control your weight might assist your hormones to function properly. Weight loss not only promotes hair growth but also helps to regulate your hormones. This may aid in the regulation of hunger cycles, the reduction of cravings, and the improvement of general health.

One of the most important hormones that regulate the metabolism, appetite, and other functions in your body is cortisol. Cortisol maintains your appetite, regulates your heart rate, moves nutrients throughout your body, and helps to regulate muscle growth. High levels of cortisol are linked to hair loss because it can interfere with hair follicle development by decreasing testosterone production. By doing this, it creates mini-cycles where you have more hairs growing out than you have growing in.

Stress can also kill your hair as it slows your metabolism and depletes the nutrients necessary to keep your scalp healthy and strong. 

The first step towards controlling your weight is to understand its role in overall health and well-being. It is important to note that overeating and undereating does not cause weight gain or loss weight only eating and the way we move our bodies cause weight gain or loss.

Weight Loss Not Cause Hair Growth Problems

Slow and sustained weight loss has no harmful impact on hair growth. However, abruptly reducing a significant amount of weight might result in hair loss. Crash dieting may also lead to hair loss, particularly if you’re losing a lot of weight and soon gaining it back. Instead of attempting to entirely modify your lifestyle all at once, make incremental, progressive improvements to your diet over time. You’ll retain your hair, and you’ll be more inclined to stay in shape.

You may shed a few extra pounds with a bout of exercise, but you’re not likely to lose a significant amount of weight. If you feel that you must eat very little to lose weight, you must seek the advice of your doctor for medical supervision. Your doctor can recommend a program to help monitor your progress and make sure that the weight loss is healthy and safe.

This is especially important for women who are at the age where they are about to enter menopause. At this point, any form of weight loss will be detrimental to your health. Instead, make healthy lifestyle changes that will help you fit into more petite clothing during menopause. You can always fit back into your more oversized clothes after menopause!

What About Surgery?

For certain obese patients, doctors recommend surgery. If your doctor suggests surgery, you may be concerned about the impact on your hair. While your body heals from major surgery, you may experience temporary hair loss. This is very normal, and your hair will generally regrow as you heal.

Hair loss may occur as a result of rapid weight reduction after bariatric surgery. Improved nutrition, on the other hand, leads to improved hair development in the long term. In most cases, your hair will regrow in six months or less.

When Does Your Weight Become A Health Problem?

The NHS website contains a wealth of information about weight and determining whether or not someone is overweight or obese. In most circumstances, your body mass index (BMI) is used to calculate it; however, this is merely a guideline and is not always correct for everyone since it ignores characteristics like muscle mass and ethnicity.

The size of your waist may also be used to determine whether or not you are overweight. ‘Those with wider waists – usually, 94cm or more in males and roughly 80cm or more in women – are more prone to develop obesity-related health issues,’ according to several GPs. It is important to see your doctor if you suspect you are in danger of health concerns as a result of your weight.

Is Hair Loss Dangerous?

Hair loss isn’t harmful in and of itself, but the underlying reasons for hair loss after losing weight may be. Hair is composed of protein and keratin, and it relies on a number of key nutrients to function. Vitamins A, B, C, and D work with zinc, iron, and other minerals to build strong hair. Nutrient deficits and excessive calorie restriction, for example, may result in major health problems such as iron deficiency anemia, muscle loss, and more.

Hair growth requires a number of nutrients, including protein, zinc, vitamin B, iron, and more. However, proper nutrition is only one of the causes of hair loss after weight loss. Underlying causes of hair loss after weight gain may include nutrient deficiencies, hormonal imbalances, or thyroid issues resulting from calorie restriction or extreme dieting.

How To Prevent Hair Loss When Trying To Lose Weight?

Hair loss after weight reduction may be caused by dietary deficits or fast weight loss, as previously stated. As a result, it’s critical that you strive to reduce weight in a healthy, long-term way. Crash and restrictive diets may be hazardous to mental health and are linked to weight gain, in addition to possibly causing hair loss.

An unhealthy obsession with thinness is also dangerous for numerous psychological and physical reasons. Even if you’re not thin, if you’re dieting and not getting the nutrients you need to survive, you still may experience hair loss due to deficiencies.

However, if your body is starving for calories and nutrients, it’ll draw heavily on the proteins of your muscles and organs. These proteins are used as raw materials for both muscle building and healing as well as various other biochemical processes such as energy production and hormone synthesis.

How To Facilitate Hair Regrowth?

It’s vital to figure out what’s causing your hair loss before attempting to fix it. Remember that hair loss may be caused by a variety of factors other than fast weight loss or dietary shortages. If a shortfall in one or more nutrients, such as zinc or iron, is causing hair loss, treating the deficiency or deficiencies may halt the loss and lead to hair regrowth.

If your body isn’t getting enough calories or nutrients from a restricted or crash diet, it’s critical to cease the diet right once and start fueling it properly with a balanced diet rich in nutrient-dense foods.

Food alone may not be enough to replace your nutritional levels if you have a nutrient shortage, and a supplement may be required. Supplements, on the other hand, may not help with hair loss if you don’t have a vitamin shortage.

The Bottom Line

Hair loss may be caused by a variety of circumstances, including nutritional shortages, during or after weight reduction. However, hair loss might be caused by underlying health conditions, so don’t self-diagnose your hair loss as being caused by weight reduction. Work with a skilled healthcare practitioner, such as a doctor or a registered dietitian to determine the reason for your hair loss and develop a treatment plan that will help you regrow your hair.

FAQS

Will my hair grow back if I lose weight?

With your weight reduction, you may see increased hair thinning. Telogen effluvium is the term for this kind of transient hair loss. Fortunately, hair loss caused by weight loss is generally transient and will regenerate once you resume a healthy protein diet.

How can I stop hair loss while dieting?

Protein-rich, iron-rich meals are essential for a healthy body, particularly while reducing weight. Hair loss may also be caused by a lack of iron. To acquire adequate iron when dieting and, in general, eat lean meats, fish, nuts, beans, or even supplemental protein in the form of powders or bars.

What are some of the nutrients that one can intake to promote healthy hair?

Nutrients such as Vitamin A, Vitamin C, and iron should be consumed to promote healthy hair. Vitamins A and C can help heal dry scalps, while iron will help prevent anemia associated with a lack of energy and weakens circulation.

During this period, adequate nutrients need to come from the food we eat and from enriched foods like supplements or fortified cereals. One such example is iron which can be found in dark leafy vegetables like spinach or kale. Women are more susceptible to this deficiency because they have higher iron requirements than men. Women are more susceptible to this deficiency because they have higher iron requirements than men.

A study conducted by the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology found that people with more balanced diets had healthier hair. However, the study also concluded that those with nutrient deficiencies had dry hair and said that nutrients like zinc, folic acid, copper, and chromium were important for healthy hair.

The following are some tips to promote healthy hair.  First, maintaining an adequate intake of fluids, recently published findings suggest that dehydration negatively affects the scalp’s blood supply, which reduces the amount of oxygen available to the brain.  Also, consuming enough water is important for maintaining proper blood flow.  For women, the recommended daily intake of water is about 10-12 cups per day.  For children and teenagers, it’s 8-10 cups per day.

Does exercise reduce hair loss?

Exercise has a positive effect on your hair. It can help prevent hair loss and breakage and limit its severity, not only in the scalp but all over your head. In addition, studies show that it also strengthens the hair follicles and can help them grow stronger.

Exercise is essential for weight loss, too – studies have revealed that overweight people are more likely to suffer from hair thinning or baldness due to hormonal changes.

The best form of exercise for preventing hair loss is an aerobic activity. This includes a variety of activities, such as cycling, running, and swimming. It also includes high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which involves alternating very intense bursts of activity with moments of rest. Although this may sound difficult to start with, it can be done in a gym by using an exercise bike, for example. Lifting weights will also help keep your body healthy and support the muscle that attaches to the hair follicles to keep them strong and healthy.

Why do overweight people have thinning hair?

Weight gain is not the only cause of hair loss, which several factors can cause. So let’s take a closer look at the causes of hair loss in overweight people.

Hair loss can be an accidental result due to wearing bald caps or baldness treatments with Finasteride medication. Weight gain can also cause changes in your hormone balance which may affect how your body produces sebum. Sebum is what makes your hair shiny and protects it from harmful UV radiation. You might also experience some hair loss as you age as the follicles (where the hair grows from) stop producing as much hair as they used to.

Trigger factors for some forms of alopecia are metabolic disorders, thyroid disorders, lichen planus, Cushing’s disease, and polycystic ovarian syndrome. Another trigger for baldness is postpartum hair loss (after most pregnancies).

Nevertheless, it is known that increased levels of Insulin Growth Factor 2 (IGF-2) in the blood adversely affect the hair follicles. IGF-2 is a growth hormone that increases when you eat excessive amounts of sugar or carbohydrates. Therefore, when you eat too much, your body slows down your metabolism (the rate at which your body burns energy) to make more room for excess food.

Can losing weight help with hair loss?

It can be a huge help to people struggling with hair loss, but it’s not always effective. You might also have to go through various other treatments before you see the expected results if you want long-term success.

If losing weight is something you’re interested in, keep reading for some helpful suggestions on how to do it and maintain a healthy diet while reaching your goal weight.