The health of your hair is connected to several factors — including your diet, sleep habits, and overall lifestyle habits. But, did you know that being overweight or obese — apart from being linked to various problems such as the high risk of heart diseases, joint pains, blood pressure, diabetes, and gut problems — may also have a connection with hair loss?
Highlighting the same in an Instagram post, Dr Palaniappan Manickam, a gastroenterologist said, “Insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) is an important hormone that helps increase the blood flow to the root of the hair bulb, promoting increased hair growth and preventing its loss. Further, this hormone behaves like insulin — so, when insulin is not working, then IGF is also not working and thus, lower hair growth,” he added.
He further shared that a waist circumference of more than 90 cm in men and 80 cm in women contributes to belly fat. “If you see someone with a belly, there is a 90 per cent chance that their body is not utilising or producing insulin properly which could lead to hair loss,” Dr Manickam said.
So, is there really a link between the two? We reached out to experts to find out more.
According to Jasleen Kaur, a nutritionist, there is an “indirect correlation” between belly fat and hair loss. “That is because hair growth depends on the vital signs of a person. If an obese person has nutritional deficiencies, such as of vitamin D 12 and B, then there are more chances of having lower hair density and quality. Having said that, thin and skinny individuals can also have hair loss; so it depends completely on the levels of vitamins and minerals in the body.”
She, however, pointed out that people with excess belly fat can be suffering from insulin resistance, which can cause pigmentation and PCOS, thereby leading to hair loss. “But there is no direct link between the two conditions,” she told indianexpress.com, further mentioning that people who are obese could be suffering from “stress due to weight issues, overeating and mood swings, which can disrupt the hair growth cycle and lead to hair loss.”
“As such, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a nutrient-rich diet, and reducing stress levels can help promote hair growth,” Kaur concluded.
On the other hand, as per Dr Rinky Kapoor, consultant dermatologist and dermato-surgeon, The Esthetic Clinics, Mumbai, “Obesity inducts inflammatory signals to the hair follicle stem cells which disrupts their regeneration and, over time, the hair follicles become weak and the hair thinner. This also explains why overweight people are more susceptible to androgenetic alopecia.”
Additionally, she noted that belly fat also disrupts the insulin growth factor functioning. “Lack of IGF reduces blood flow to the hair root, depriving it of nutrition and resulting in hair loss. When you insulin levels are not good, the IGF does not work properly, and it results in stunted hair growth.”
The solution, according to the expert, lies in getting good sleep to lower stress and reduce cortisol production, eating a diet rich in iron and biotin to strengthen the hair, keeping a healthy weight, and avoiding experimentation with hair to prevent hair loss.
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