Metabolic Syndrome X Hair Loss
Metabolic syndrome, formerly known as Syndrome X, has been known to cause balding. The main factor of the disorder, insulin resistance, can lead to chronic, life-threatening diseases as well as hair loss.
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Metabolic Syndrome
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Also known as insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome is a group of disorders, including obesity, that lead to chronic disease such as diabetes. When the body's insulin hormone can't convert sugar from food into energy and the blood has high levels of sugar, the person is insulin-resistant.
Alopecia
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Alopecia refers to a spectrum of balding and hair thinning on the scalp and/or body. Different types of alopecia exist, depending on the area of hair loss, the amount and cause of it.
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Connection
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Too much androgen, a testosterone hormone responsible for male characteristics, results in hair loss in women. Insulin resistance creates a vicious cycle by leading to androgen excess, and the androgen excess promotes insulin resistance, according to WellnessAlternatives.com.
Research
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Early hair loss in men has long been suspected to have links with insulin resistance, according to StopHairLossNow.com. In 2000, research published in The Lancet medical journal confirmed that early development of premature androgenic alopecia is a potential indicator of carbohydrate metabolism disorders. The study involved 154 men who started balding before the age of 35.
Opposing Research
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Follicles contain insulin and it's widely believed to play a role in the regulation of androgen metabolism and the hair growth cycle. Despite this, a study published in the Clinical and Experimental Dermatology Journal recently, said they found no link between insulin resistance and androgenic alopecia.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kevin Dooley
