What Is The Link Between Hair Loss And Weight Gain?

by Annie Jangam
What Is The Link Between Hair Loss And Weight Gain?

Obesity often comes with complications like fatigue, breathlessness, knee pain, and dry skin. What about hair loss? Excess weight gain is not directly responsible for hair loss. However, it may lead to underlying health issues and deficiencies that may trigger hair loss.

If you have gained excess weight and are experiencing hair loss, scroll through this article to understand the possible connection between the two.

Hair Loss And Weight Gain: What Is The Link?

Excess weight gain and high body mass index (BMI) are associated with multiple health issues and metabolic syndromes that may trigger hair loss. Numerous studies have found a connection between weight gain and hair loss:

  • A study on Taiwanese men reported that higher BMI could increase the severity of androgenic alopecia (hair loss) (1).
  • Metabolic syndromes like waist circumference and hypertension also trigger female pattern hair loss. A study demonstrated that the severity of pattern baldness increased with weight gain (2).
  • A study on middle-aged women concluded that insulin resistance could increase the risk of androgenic alopecia (AGA), especially in women with a family history of AGA (3). Obesity is also one of the causes of insulin resistance (4).

Multiple underlying conditions can trigger unexplained weight gain or vice-versa. This complex process can cause an avalanche of issues, including hair loss. In the next section, we take a deeper dive into the possible causes of sudden weight gain and hair loss.

Causes of Hair Loss And Weight Gain In Women

  • Thyroid Disorders

The thyroid gland is responsible for regulating multiple metabolic functions in the body. Imbalance in thyroid hormones is linked to alopecia areata. The hair follicles have receptors that bind to the thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH.

Studies found that lack of thyroid hormones and hypothyroidism, especially T3 and T4 hormones, could cause hair fall, lack of hair pigments, and other issues. Thyroid disorders are also associated with dry skin, fatigue, and irregular periods (5), (6), (7), (8).

  • Reproductive Hormonal Imbalance

The hair cycle in women changes during pregnancy, and diffuse hair loss is common in postpartum women. Although the exact mechanism is not clear, the shifts in the reproductive hormone levels can be one possible reason. It is common to experience hair loss and weight gain during these situations (9). However, the hair cycle normalizes once the hormone levels stabilize.

  • Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)

Women with PCOS experience abnormalities in androgen and estrogen metabolism.

Excess estrogen is often linked to both weight gain and hair loss. On the other hand, excess androgen levels or hyperandrogenism also cause female pattern hair loss.

However, the relationship between excess androgen (such as testosterone) and hair loss in women is not clear (10), (11). It is widely speculated that the androgen derivatives (especially DHT) block the hair follicles, causing hair loss.

  • Menopause

During menopause, the estrogen and progesterone levels decrease in women. Low progesterone levels often lead to increased androgen levels. This shift in hormones during menopause is responsible for weight gain, mood swings, and hair loss (12).

  • Stress

Stressful situations, such as surgery, psychological and emotional stress, crash diet, illness, and injuries, can influence the normal hair cycle and cause telogen effluvium (hair loss) (13). Increased cortisol levels cause redistribution of adipose tissue to the abdominal region, increasing your craving for comfort food. This often leads to abdominal obesity. It also affects your metabolism and causes various metabolic syndromes (14).

  • Adrenal Fatigue

Long-term stress activates the adrenal glands and causes adrenal fatigue. These glands regulate adrenaline and cortisol. When they are overworked, they produce more cortisol and cannot keep up with other demands of the body, causing fatigue, sleeplessness, weight gain, low immunity, and hair loss. Animal studies have linked hair loss to increased adrenal activity (15).

The best way to combat this is to take care of your diet and sleeping patterns. Improve your lifestyle through stress management and physical activity to minimize adrenal fatigue.

  • Prescription Medications

Prescription medicines like antidepressants, anti-seizure medication, and corticosteroids may cause weight gain and hair loss (16) (17). Hair loss triggered by medications is temporary, and normal hair growth resumes once you stop the medication. Consult a licensed medical practitioner if the hair loss persists.

  • Poor Nutrition

Eating unhealthy and processed food and lack of proper nutrition from crash diets can play havoc with your health, leading to weight gain and hair loss. Lack of essential nutrients and trace elements like iron, zinc, fatty acids, vitamins A and E, amino acids, biotin, and protein can cause hair loss (18).

  • Prediabetes

Metabolic diseases such as diabetes, blood pressure, heart health, and obesity are all interlinked (19). If you are predisposed to diabetes or any of the conditions, there is a likelihood that you might have an insulin imbalance or high BMI. Insulin resistance can increase your chance of developing androgenic alopecia (3).

Final Thoughts

Scientific evidence links excess weight gain to hair loss. Obesity can trigger various health issues, like hormonal imbalances and metabolic disorders, which may cause hair loss. Moreover, a few prescription medications you may take to control these disorders have unwanted side effects like hair fall. You can resolve this to some extent by improving your lifestyle, diet, stress management, and sleep cycle. However, consult a medical practitioner for a proper prognosis.

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Annie Jangam

Annie Jangam is a Molecular Biologist with 7 years of research experience in Rice Functional Genomics and Nutrient Signalling with International Publications in Abiotic stress, Nitrogen, and G-protein signaling. She specializes in writing on Health and Wellness. She has been an avid reader since childhood and is passionate about stories that help decipher life and its meaning. She believes in Human Rights for all and that one should "love others like we love ourselves."
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