Turkish hair transplant surgeons are telling men to quit energy drinks… because studies show they could make you go bald

17/06/2024

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With sky-high levels of caffeine, sugar and additives it should come as no surprise that energy drinks do our health no favours.

But could they also cause some people to go bald?

The answer is yes, according to Turkish hair transplant surgeon Dr Abdulaziz Balwi, who said he warns his patients to quit the drinks completely.

Many of them contain ingredients critical to hair growth, including vitamins and minerals, but in a case of 'too much of a good thing' he said consuming excessive amounts could have the opposite effect.

'Although these energy drinks may be fine in moderation, is excess they may cause a greater risk of experiencing hair loss directly or affect overall health,' said Dr Balwi of Elithair in Istanbul.

Dr Abdulaziz Balwi, a hair transplant surgeon at the Istanbul based clinic Elithair, warned energy drinks could contribute to hair loss (stock image)

'Excessive intake of energy drinks is a predisposing factor to the toxicity of certain elements such as caffeine and selenium.

'Selenium and Vitamin A are toxic to hair when taken in high doses and can also be a trigger for alopecia areata, a disease where the immune system mistakenly targets hair cells meaning it falls out in patches.'

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Some energy drinks for sale on the UK can contain 113 per cent of a person's recommended vitamin A intake and 100 per cent of their selenium.

Additionally, brands such as Red Bull, Prime and Monster can have up to 150mg of caffeine, almost double that of a black coffee.

While moderate levels of caffeine can boost hair growth, Dr Balwi said too much can lead to increased stress and hormone imbalances that can damage hair follicles.

Therefore, drinking multiple cans or eating food and drinks that also containing these substances in a short period, could cause a person to consume too much and suffer potential health consequences like hair loss as a result.

He added that while energy drinks could contribute to hair loss directly, they could also exacerbate other health problems that cause men to go bald.

The drinks' high sugar content could contribute to obesity and diabetes, both of which have previously been linked to men losing their hair.

Some energy drink brands can contain nearly 28g of sugar per can or bottle.

Considering the NHS recommends adults consume only 30g of free sugars (sugar added to food, from syrups or fruit juices) a day this means a single energy drinks can account for over 90 per cent of a person's daily intake.

Dr Balwi also cited a Chinese study on over 1,000 young adults published in January last year which suggested men who consume sugary drinks, including energy drinks, are 42 per cent more likely to lose their hair.

Energy drinks have sky-high levels of ingredients that have powerful effects on the body. Some brands can have up to 160mg of caffeine, almost triple that of an instant coffee, nearly 10-times the level of taurine, an amino acid commonly found in meat, fish and eggs, as a salmon fillet and the same amount of sugar as a full fat Coke

While the study did suggest this potential link between sugary drinks and hair loss, the authors note they couldn't prove consuming such beverages caused people to lose their hair directly.

They also noted factors like stress could also be playing a role in both encouraging sugary drink consumption and triggering hair loss and further studies were needed to unpick this relationship.

It could also be that excessive energy drink consumption is an indicator of unhealthy lifestyles and poor diet that can contribute to hair loss more generally rather than triggering it directly.

Consuming too much sugar has been well established as increasing the risk of obesity which in turn can raise the odds of serious health conditions such as high blood pressure, as well as certain cancers.

Dr Balwi said men should seek to cut down energy drinks to reduce their risk of baldness.

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'An acceptable consumption averages five-to-seven energy drinks per week. Above this amount, there is a risk of serious damage to health,' he said.

However, British hair transplant surgeons said any supposed link between energy drinks and hair loss is, at best, thin.

Dr Bessam Farjo of the Farjo Hair Institute said while, theoretically, energy drinks could cause hair loss this was yet to be proven.

'While it is theoretically possible for energy drinks to contribute to hair loss, it is extremely unlikely,' he said.

'From a basic science perspective, there is no established toxic dose of caffeine that directly leads to hair loss — consuming energy drinks in moderation does not pose a significant risk for hair loss.'

He added that while metabolic problems, like diabetes, could indeed contribute to hair loss, these needed to be addressed specifically rather than focusing on energy drinks.

'Moderate consumption of two-to-three energy drinks a day is unlikely to cause hair loss,' he said.

'The key concern should be the overall impact on health, rather than attributing hair loss directly to energy drinks.'

Dr Kieran Dayah lead hair transplant surgeon at the Wimpole Clinic and Mayfair Hair Clinic, both in London, agreed that the evidence between energy drinks and hair loss wasn't currently strong enough.

Drinks such as Red Bull, Prime and Monster can have up to 150mg of caffeine. For comparison, a 250ml cup of coffee has around 90mg

‘There’s not enough evidence, in my knowledge, to suggest any link between energy drinks at hair loss at this time,' he said.

However, he did acknowledge that there was some logic in overconsumption of caffeine, vitamin A and selenium causing problems with your hair.

‘As with anything, in too much quantity it can become detrimental,’ he said,

‘These energy drink do have extremely high quantities of things to stimulate people, so it doesn’t sound too farfetched.'

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Dr Dayah said, at the moment, he would recommend people limit their energy drink intake generally.

‘Everyone is becoming more aware of the damage energy drinks can do in terms of overall health,’ he said.

‘If hair issues is another one of them then it adds to the list of reasons to avoid consuming them in excess.

‘If you’re going to have an energy drink don’t go consuming multiple of these in a day, stick to the NHS guidelines in terms of intake of caffeine and sugar.'

An estimated 6.5million men in the UK experience male-pattern baldness, rising to some 50million in the US.

The majority of men will experience some level of hair thinning by the time they reach their 60s.

However for some men it occurs far earlier in life, in their 20s and 30s, which can cause self-esteem issues for some individuals.

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