Just one soda a day may increase the risk of male pattern baldness

One less soda a day could prevent your hair loss.

A new study suggests that drinking your favorite soft drink could increase your chances of going bald.

Researchers from Tsinghua University in Beijing found that those who indulged in just one soda a day had a 57% higher risk of experiencing male-pattern hair loss compared to those who avoided fizzy bevs.

Specifically, they analyzed the consumption of “sweetened beverages,” referred to as SSB in the study, and hypothesized that any beverage high in added sugar could contribute to the condition. With the possible exception of diet sodas, other sugary drinks, including sports drinks, sugary coffee and tea, should be ruled out if you want to maintain your hair.

Data shows that half of men typically lose their hair by age 50, and 25% of bald men see the first signs of hair loss before age 21, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Scientists have long searched for an effective treatment for hair loss, testing everything from tablets twice a day with old-fashioned Minoxidil, the active ingredient in Keep and Rogaine. A team of Japanese researchers even grew a hair follicle in a Petri dish earlier this year – a first step towards developing a regenerative treatment for hair growth.

But recent advances could be in vain if men continue to swallow soda. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention63% of adults aged 18 and over drink at least one sugary drink a day.

This latest study, published in the journal Nutrients, looked for links between the consumption of sugary drinks and hair loss in men, in a self-reported survey of 1,028 men, aged 18 to 45, located in China.

Participants answered questions about previous baldness, their eating habits and whether they experienced any mental health issues. They were also asked how often they consumed certain foods and beverages, namely soft drinks and sugary refreshments.

This revealed a “significant association” between high consumption of sugary drinks and hair loss in men.

Investigators observed the highest consumption of sugary drinks among the youngest men surveyed and believed this resulted from “ignorance of the harmful effects” of sugary drinks.

“Chronic illness and death are so vague and distant to young people that they are unwilling to give up the satisfaction of BSS in favor of long-term health goals,” the authors wrote.

The researchers further concluded that consuming sugary drinks one to three times a week increased the risk of hair loss by 21%, while consuming four to seven sugary drinks increased the risk to 26%.

In addition to hair loss, they found a relationship between sugary drink consumption and psychological health, potentially fueling a vicious cycle of depression and anxiety compounded by hair loss.

In their analysis, the researchers found that people who drank three sodas a day had about a 25% higher risk of depression. They also found that the simple sugars in these drinks are associated with increased anxiety in study participants aged 45.

The scientists’ findings are correlative, meaning they can’t be certain that soda causes hair loss — only that soda drinkers lose hair at a higher rate.

This potential link between poor diet and baldness is not the first of its kind, however, as other researchers have analyzed. effects of salt and a receding hairline. Some researchers have touted healthy eating and various vitamins and minerals as the holy grail for preventing hair loss, but it’s unclear if eating healthy is really the ultimate solution.

The Beijing researchers didn’t seem to think so. They found no protective qualities of a healthy diet, but called for more studies to be done to confirm their findings.