How a low carb diet could help combat hair loss

Low carb diets have slowly risen in popularity over the past few decades. Whether it’s the Atkins plan, to the ketogenic (keto) diet, or the blood sugar diet, most weight loss plans require you to either reduce your carb consumption, or in some cases cut them out altogether.

Removing bread from your life might seem like a step too far for many of us. But what if we told you that by following a low carbohydrate diet, you could lose weight as well as reduce your hair loss?

Too good to be true?

Well, for most of us, yes it probably is. But if your hair loss is linked to a condition like polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) or type 2 diabetes, then this could be for you.

Low carb diets generally work on the principle that in lieu of burning off carbohydrates to use as energy, our bodies will start to burn off fat instead. But there’s another factor at play when it comes to PCOS or type 2 diabetes patients.

As you probably know, diabetes is caused by a lack of insulin, or an inability to use it properly. In type 1 diabetes, this problem is present from birth, but in type 2 diabetes it often occurs later in life, and can be a result of certain lifestyle factors.

What you may not know is that PCOS can also lead to insulin resistance. And both PCOS and diabetes can cause hair loss.

How can a low carb diet help with insulin resistance?

When the body converts carbohydrate into energy, it forms glucose, and the body then needs to use insulin to take the glucose to the cells. So limiting your carb intake can help to deal with insulin resistance, but only for as long as you keep up the diet.

However, some studies have found that by following an intermittent fasting plan, where you lower your carb intake for one or two days a week, you can improve insulin resistance in the long term.

So if I have PCOS or diabetes, will a low carb diet reverse my hair loss?

Probably not, but it could certainly prevent any further damage from being done.

Diabetes-related hair loss usually takes the form of alopecia areata, which tends to be temporary anyway, so you may well find that restricting the amount of carbohydrate you eat does help you to maintain a full head of hair long term.

With PCOS, the hair loss is usually related to hormonal surges, and tends to be permanent, so you may need to investigate other options if you want to improve the appearance of your hair.

However, it certainly seems like following a low carb diet might not be the foolish fad it once appeared to be.

For more information about treating either PCOS or diabetes-related hair loss, please call us on 07884 808552!