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

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.

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.

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.

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.