A high fat diet and genetic obesity would block the regeneration of the hair follicle and lead to premature hair loss.
- A diet that is too fatty and obesity each lead to the depletion of stem cells in the hair follicle by inducing certain inflammatory signals that block their regeneration.
- A change in the epidermis is involved.
- Four days of the wrong diet is enough to cause changes that promote accelerated hair loss.
Hair loss is a natural process that can be accelerated by several factors. Stress can, for example, prevent hair from growing. In new research, published on June 23 in the journal NatureJapanese researchers from the University of Tokyo have shown that genetic obesity and the adoption of a high-fat diet promote hair loss.
A blocked regeneration
In the classic process, the stem cells of the hair follicle renew themselves automatically with each cycle. This is what allows hair to continually grow back. With aging, these cells have a harder time replenishing themselves, leading to thinning hair. For this study, the researchers tried to find out if a diet high in fat and obesity are factors that accelerate this thinning. And if so, how and by what molecular mechanisms does this occur.
The study found that the two factors each lead to depletion of hair follicle stem cells by inducing certain inflammatory signals that block their regeneration, ultimately resulting in hair loss. “We compared gene expression in hair follicle stem cells between mice fed a high-fat diet and others fed a standard diet.said Hironobu Morinaga, lead author of the study. We then traced the fate of these cells after their activation.”
Four days of bad diet is enough
Researchers have identified a process affecting the epidermis that causes hair loss. “We found that obese mice and those on a high-fat diet change their fat on the surface of the skinwhich accelerates hair loss and depletes hair follicle stem cells.”
This change can be very rapid. Indeed, a diet high in fat for four consecutive days would cause increased oxidative stress and epidermal signs indicating a change in the stem cells of the hair follicle.
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