Soda Is Coming for Our Hair Now
Maternal grandfathers have long been the heavy in male-pattern baldness. But like a good pair of hair plugs, a new study seems to restore their hirsute honor and firmly points the finger in a new direction — sugary sodas.
In particular, researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing surveyed 1,028 men between the ages of 18 and 45 about their diets and hair loss. In total, 57.6 percent experienced some form of balding, and on average, those who were balding drank up to 4,293 milliliters of soda and other “sugar-sweetened beverages” (juice, energy drinks, etc.) per week, whereas men with full manes only drank about 2,513 milliliters.
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“We observed a high consumption level of (sugar-sweetened beverages) in the studied population and, for the first time, have reported that high consumption of (sugar-sweetened beverages) is associated with a higher risk of (male-pattern hair loss),” the study authors concluded. They suspect this was due to these beverages increasing men’s blood sugar, which has also been linked with hair loss.
On the plus side of the beverage ledger, “sweet tea and coffee are rich in caffeine, which plays a protective role in hair loss and alleviates the negative effect of added sugar,” the researchers noted.
And so, if you must drown your receding-hairline sorrows in something, definitely skip the Big Gulp and reach for a big carafe of joe instead.
