With high levels of caffeine, sugar and additives, it should come as no surprise that energy drinks aren’t doing our health any favors.
But could they also cause baldness in some people?
The answer is yes, according to Turkish hair transplant surgeon Dr Abdulaziz Balwi, who said he warns his patients to stop drinking altogether.
Many of them contain ingredients critical to hair growth, including vitamins and minerals, but in the case of “too much of a good thing,” he said, consuming excessive amounts could backfire.
“Although these energy drinks may be good in moderation, if taken in excess they may cause a greater risk of hair loss directly or affect overall health,” said Dr Balwi of Elithair in Istanbul.
Dr Abdulaziz Balwi, a hair transplant surgeon at Istanbul-based Elithair Clinic, warned that energy drinks could contribute to hair loss (stock image)
“Excessive intake of energy drinks is a predisposing factor for 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 trigger alopecia areata, a disease where the immune system mistargets hair cells meaning they fall out in patches.”
Some energy drinks on sale in the UK can contain 113 per cent of a person’s recommended intake of vitamin A 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, consuming many canned foods or consuming foods and beverages that also contain these substances in a short period of time could cause a person to overeat and suffer possible health consequences such as hair loss as a result.
He added that while energy drinks could directly contribute to hair loss, they could also exacerbate other health problems that cause male pattern baldness.
The drinks’ high sugar content could contribute to obesity and diabetes, which have previously been linked to male hair loss.
Some energy drink brands can contain almost 28 grams of sugar per can or bottle.
Considering that the NHS recommends that adults only consume 30g of free sugars (sugar added to food, from syrups or fruit juices) a day, this means that a single energy drink can account for over 90 per cent of your daily intake a person’s.
Dr Balwi also cited a Chinese study of over 1,000 young adults published in January last year, which showed that men who consume sugary drinks, including energy drinks, are 42% more likely to lose their hair.
Energy drinks have high levels of ingredients that have powerful effects on the body. Some brands can have up to 160mg of caffeine, almost three times that of an instant coffee, almost 10 times the level of taurine, an amino acid commonly found in meat, fish and eggs, such as salmon fillet, and the same amount of sugar as a full fat coke
While the study suggested this possible link between sugary drinks and hair loss, the authors note that they were unable to prove that drinking such drinks caused people to lose their hair directly.
They also noted that factors such as stress could also play a role in both encouraging sugary drink consumption and causing hair loss, and further studies were needed to establish this link.
It could also be that excessive consumption of energy drinks is an indicator of an unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet that can contribute to hair loss in general rather than directly triggering it.
Eating too much sugar has been shown to increase the risk of obesity, which in turn can increase the chances of serious conditions such as high blood pressure, as well as some cancers.
Dr Balwi said men should try to limit energy drinks to reduce the risk of baldness.
“An acceptable consumption is an average of five to seven energy drinks per week. Above this amount, there is a risk of serious harm to health,” he said.
But British hair transplant surgeons said any purported link between energy drinks and hair loss is tenuous at best.
Dr Bessam Farjo of the Farjo Hair Institute said while, in theory, energy drinks could cause hair loss, this has yet to be proven.
“While it is theoretically possible that energy drinks 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 such as diabetes could indeed contribute to hair loss, these needed to be addressed specifically rather than focusing on energy drinks.
“A moderate consumption of two to three energy drinks a day is unlikely to cause hair loss,” he said.
“The main concern should be the overall health impact, rather than attributing hair loss directly to energy drinks.”
Dr Kieran Dayah, lead hair transplant surgeon at Wimpole Clinic and Mayfair Hair Clinic, both in London, agreed that the evidence between energy drinks and hair loss was not currently strong enough.
Drinks like Red Bull, Prime and Monster can have up to 150mg of caffeine. For comparison, a 250 ml cup of coffee has about 90 mg
“There is not enough evidence, to my knowledge, to suggest any link between energy drinks and hair loss at this time,” he said.
However, he acknowledged that there was some logic to overconsumption of caffeine, vitamin A and selenium causing problems for your hair.
“As with anything, too much can be harmful,” he said.
“These energy drinks do have extremely high amounts of things to stimulate people, so it doesn’t sound excessive.”
Dr Dayah said at this time he would recommend people limit their consumption of energy drinks in general.
“Everyone is becoming more aware of the damage that energy drinks can do in terms of overall health,” he said.
“If hair problems are another one of them, then it’s added to the list of reasons to avoid overconsumption.
“If you’re going to have an energy drink, don’t have multiples a day, follow NHS guidelines for caffeine and sugar intake.”
An estimated 6.5 million men in the UK experience male pattern baldness, rising to around 50 million in the US.
Most men will experience some level of hair thinning by the time they reach their 60s.
However, for some men it appears much earlier in life, in their 20s and 30s, which can cause self-esteem issues for some people.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-13538073/Turkish-hair-transplant-surgeons-telling-men-quit-energy-drinks-studies-theyre-packed-ingredients-make-bald.html
