Doctor warns fizzy drinks consumed by millions trigger hair loss… and reveals how to prevent it from happening
From Stanley Tucci to Terry Crews, some men have made baldness their signature style.
But if you’re not so keen to say goodbye to those luscious locks, medics say you may want to avoid one type of popular drink.
Dr Neena Chandrasekaran, a Florida-based specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine, warned sodas and energy drinks can ‘contribute to hair loss and anxiety in men’.
In a video shared with her 152,000 TikTok followers, she explained such products are often ‘loaded with sugar’ and additives that can ‘disrupt the balance of hormones within the body’.
Dr Chandrasekaran explained: ‘High caffeine content can increase cortisol levels, the stress hormone, while excess sugar is linked to poor circulation and inflammation which can both weaken hair follicles and increase hair loss.
‘The combination of high cortisol levels and sugar can exacerbate feelings of anxiety and overstimulate the nervous system.
‘The heightened state of stress also leads to hair loss as this creates more inflammation.
‘If you notice yourself losing more hair and feeling more anxious cut these products out.’
According to Dr Neena Chandrasekaran, a Florida-based specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine, sodas and energy drinks could ‘contribute to hair loss and anxiety in men’
In a video shared with her 152,000 TikTok followers, she explained this was because such products are often ‘loaded with sugar’ and additives that can ‘disrupt the balance of hormones within the body’
Research has previously suggested people who drink at least one sugary drink a day are at higher risk of suffering male pattern hair loss.
A study by Chinese researchers in 2023 found that younger men who consumed sweet drinks seven times a week had more than triple the chance of having hair loss than men who didn’t consume them.
Researchers, from Tsinghua University in Beijing, surveyed 1,000 men aged 18 to 45 about their consumption of sugary drinks over a four-month period, after which their hair loss was assessed.
The scientists said their findings were backed up by research on animals which showed excessive sugar intake impairs the body’s metabolism and, in turn, disrupts processes in the hair follicle essential for normal repair and growth.
However, other experts — who were not involved in the research — have urged caution over a potential link.
Dr Susan Massick, an expert in dermatology at Ohio State University, told Healthline at the time: ‘Diet does play a critical role in your overall health, particularly regarding risk for developing obesity, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, and hypertension.
‘However, male-pattern hair loss is multifactorial.
One 2023 study by Chinese researchers found that younger men who consumed sweet drinks seven times a week were more than three times more likely to have male pattern hair loss than men who didn’t consume them
Energy drinks have sky-high levels of ingredients that have powerful effects on the body. Some brands can have up to 160mg of caffeine, almost triple that of an instant coffee, nearly 10-times the level of taurine, an amino acid commonly found in meat, fish and eggs, as a salmon fillet and the same amount of sugar as a full fat Coke
It’s estimated that around a quarter of men in their 20s now show signs of balding — by the age of 50, that figure rises to 85 per cent of men
‘This study does not prove a causal effect that indulging in sugar-sweetened drinks induces male pattern thinning.’
While hair loss is usually associated with ageing, dermatologists have said they are increasingly seeing younger men seeking help for the problem.
Some going to the extreme, and expensive length, of getting hair transplants.
It’s estimated that around a quarter of men in their 20s show signs of balding — but by the age of 50, that figure rises to 85 per cent of men.
Androgenetic alopecia is the most common type of hair loss in men — also known as male pattern baldness — and is believed to affect around 40 to 50 per cent of men worldwide.
It causes a receding hairline at the front and a bald patch on the crown of the head which gradually gets bigger forming a distinct U-shape on the head.
The condition is caused by a combination of genetic factors and levels of sex hormones which gradually lead to the permanent loss of hair follicles on the head.
Patients can use the topical treatment minoxidil, sold as Rogaine, but this can be slow and does not work for everyone suffering from hair loss.
Those who do not see improvements with minoxidil can also take the oral drug Finasteride, sold as Propecia, which works by decreasing the flow of testosterone.
