Heredity, nutritional deficiencies, environmental pollution, hormonal abnormalities – there are more than one factors responsible for hair loss. But have you ever got your blood sugar checked just to know whether it is linked to your severe hair fall? Shocked? Well, if hair loss has turned out to be your biggest concern, chances are big that you have developed diabetes. According to the latest National Diabetes Statistics Report, almost 24% of diabetics are unaware of their conditions, which is enough to realize why the disease has not been widely recognized as a cause of hair loss. Let’s throw some light on it-
* Diabetes disrupts our blood circulation and causes poor blood flow to the scalp. The high levels of glucose in the bloodstream modify the protein hemoglobin in RBCs into glycosylated hemoglobin through a chemical reaction. This averts RBCs to enter blood capillaries causing the hair follicles to die without the supply of oxygen and nutrients.
* While suffering from diabetes, the high levels of blood sugars can interrupt the normal activities of our endocrine system. As a result, the androgen hormones can’t function properly in our body, which makes our hair follicles go dormant. It also affects the performance of the derivative of testosterone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is also linked to widespread hair loss.
* The natural immune system of our body gets affected during diabetes as the blood sugar levels go significantly high. It makes us prone to infections and our body becomes unable to combat it. It also causes various autoimmune disorders in which the immune system fails to recognize the insulin-producing tissues in the pancreas as healthy tissues and ends up attacking them accidentally. Consequently, the insulin production goes low and the hair shafts start to fall out.
* Our body goes through sheer physical and emotional stress during diabetes, which can disturb our natural hair growth cycle and trigger hair loss.
* While following a healthy diet chart and daily workout routine during diabetes, you might experience a rapid weight loss. This sometimes results in temporary hair loss.