The Role of Diet as an Adjuvant Treatment in Scarring and Nonscarring Alopecia

The 2020 document "The Role of Diet as an Adjuvant Treatment in Scarring and Nonscarring Alopecia" reviewed 24 articles involving 1,787 patients and found that certain diets may have potential as supplementary treatments for different types of alopecia. The Mediterranean diet and isoflavone-rich soy were found to potentially promote hair health and growth in Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) patients. A gluten-free diet was found to stimulate hair growth in Alopecia Areata (AA) patients with celiac disease, but a lactose-free diet had no effect. High consumption of mercury-rich fish could trigger AA and Telogen Effluvium (TE), and high consumption of buckwheat and millet groats was associated with Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia (FFA). Severe protein intake deficiencies were found in Indian AGA, AA, and TE patients, indicating protein as an essential nutrient for hair. The document concluded that more research was needed to confirm these findings.