Androgenic alopecia is associated with higher dietary inflammatory index and lower antioxidant index scores

Authors

Sina Bazmi 1, Matin Sepehrinia 1 2, Hossein Pourmontaseri 1, Hadi Bazyar 3, Farhad Vahid 4, Mojtaba Farjam 2, Azizallah Dehghan 2, James R Hébert 5 6, Reza Homayounfar # 7, Negin Shakouri # 2

  1. 1Student Research Committee, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
  2. 2Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, Fasa University of Medical Sciences, Fasa, Iran.
  3. 3Department of Public Health, Sirjan School of Medical Sciences, Sirjan, Iran.
  4. 4Nutrition and Health Research Group, Department of Precision Health, Luxembourg Institute of Health, Strassen, Luxembourg.
  5. 5Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.
  6. 6South Carolina Statewide Cancer Prevention and Control Program, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, United States.
  7. 7National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

Background: Androgenic alopecia (AGA), the most prevalent hair loss type, causes major psychological distress and reduced quality of life. A definite and safe cure/prevention for this condition is still lacking. The role of oxidative stress and inflammation in AGA pathogenesis prompted us to investigate the association between dietary antioxidant index (DAI) and energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) with AGA.

Methods: The investigation was designed based on data from 10,138 participants from the Fasa Adult Cohort Study (FACS). DAI and energy-adjusted DII (E-DII) were calculated utilizing a validated 125-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A physician diagnosed AGA. Logistic regression models were utilized to evaluate the association of DAI and E-DII with AGA.

Results: After exclusion, 9,647 participants (44.0% men, mean age: 48.6 ± 9.5 years) consisting of 7,348 participants with AGA entered the analyses. Higher DAI was associated with 10% lower AGA odds, while higher E-DII showed 4% higher AGA odds after adjusting for various confounding variables. However, significant associations were found only among women, and adjusting for metabolic syndrome (MetS) made the E-DII-AGA association insignificant.

Conclusion: Antioxidant-rich diets protect against AGA, while pro-inflammatory diets increase the risk, likely through developing MetS. Patient nutrition is frequently overlooked in clinical practice, yet it plays a crucial role, especially for women genetically predisposed to androgenetic alopecia. Dietary changes, such as reducing pro-inflammatory foods (like trans and saturated fats) and increasing anti-inflammatory options (fruits and vegetables), can help prevent hair loss and mitigate its psychological impacts, ultimately lowering future treatment costs.

Keywords: antioxidants; diet; hair loss; inflammation; metabolic syndrome; pattern baldness.

How to Cite

Bazmi S, Sepehrinia M, Pourmontaseri H, Bazyar H, Vahid F, Farjam M, Dehghan A, Hébert JR, Homayounfar R, Shakouri N. Androgenic alopecia is associated with higher dietary inflammatory index and lower antioxidant index scores. Front Nutr. 2024 Aug 15;11:1433962. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1433962. PMID: 39211830; PMCID: PMC11358075.

Metrics

Androgenic alopecia is associated with higher dietary inflammatory index and lower antioxidant index scores)