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

January 2020 in “ Skin appendage disorders ”

Christine Pham, Karina Romero, Hind M. Almohanna, Jacob Griggs, Azhar Ahmed, Antonella Tosti

scarring alopecia nonscarring alopecia Mediterranean diet isoflavone-rich soy Androgenetic Alopecia gluten-free diet Alopecia Areata celiac disease lactose-free diet mercury-rich fish Telogen Effluvium buckwheat millet groats Frontal Fibrosing Alopecia protein intake deficiencies AGA AA TE FFA

TLDR Certain diets may help with hair growth in people with different types of hair loss.

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.

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