A few participants may experience hair
shedding
While on a very-low-calorie diet, a small
number of participants may experience excessive hair shedding. This
is a temporary condition and indicates the growth of new hair
as the old hair is literally pushing out the new.
For some, this may only begin once they return
to a conventional diet.
Hair grows in three stages:
- Anagen - the active phase when new cells in the hair root are
being produced and the hair shaft is growing.
- Catagen - a resting phase when there is little cell division in
the hair root and the hair shaft is not growing. The base of the
hair ‘disconnects’ from the root and just ‘rests’ in the
follicle.
- Telogen - when the resting hair ‘sheds’ because the hair root
has gone into anagen and the cycle is starting again, with the new
hair pushing out the old.
When energy intake is reduced, as it is on any
diet, the body reduces the proportion of follicles in anagen and
more follicles go into catagen and telogen than would usually be
the case, but this usually remains unnoticeable.
In around 4% of people, however, the
proportion of follicles in telogen exceeds 30% and hair loss
becomes noticeable. It’s more likely to happen if you’ve
experienced excess hair shedding in the past (e.g. following
pregnancy, flu or stress).
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