Alopecia in Crash Dieters

June 1976 in “ JAMA ”

D. K. Goette

telogen effluvium hair matrix telogen counts

TLDR Severe calorie cutting can cause hair loss, but hair usually grows back after some time.

In 1976, a study was conducted on nine patients who experienced significant hair loss two to five months after initiating a rigorous weight loss program, which resulted in a weight loss of 11.7 to 24.75 kg. The patients had telogen counts (a measure of hair shedding) ranging from 25% to 50%. Hair regrowth was observed within several months. Three of these patients had previously experienced hair loss after successful weight reduction programs. The study concluded that the severe caloric restriction, leading to an inadequate energy supply to the hair matrix, was likely the cause of the hair loss, a condition known as telogen effluvium.

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