Intermittent fasting, a strategy embraced by millions worldwide for its health and weight loss benefits, has now revealed a surprising side effect: reduced hair growth.
A recent study published in Cell has revealed that fasting may impair hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs), potentially slowing down the natural hair growth process.
Though researchers agreed that an intermittent fasting regimen improves metabolic health, they found that the effect of this mechanism on tissues was not studied.
Dr Abhiram Rayapatti agreed that people observing different fasting regimens have been seeing acute hair loss, and subsequently warranting visits to dermatologists.
He added that "a few studies suggested that after some time the body gets adjusted to these fasting regimens and thereby slow down the negative impact on the hair follicles”.