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Is Your Hair Trying to Tell You Something About Diabetes?

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Is Your Hair Trying to Tell You Something About Diabetes?

Hair can tell you a lot about a person. Hair color and texture lend insight into a person’s background and history, hairstyle can indicate a person’s likes and preferences, and can even be used to pinpoint biological information about someone.

Given that hair can convey so much information both from looks and from further inspection, is there something your hair may be trying to tell you? As it turns out, hair can provide information about diabetes that you might not recognize otherwise. Diabetes affects all of your body’s systems, including the systems responsible for hair growth, texture, and pigmentation, and can alter the way your hair grows.

Hair and Diabetes

Hair is linked to diabetes in two significant ways: color and thickness. Some studies have found that diabetes can actually cause men’s eyebrows to go gray at a rate slower than the hair on one’s scalp, while the stress of diabetes can cause premature graying. Hair and diabetes are also related with regard to hair loss; diabetes can cause a condition called alopecia, which describes the process of losing hair in small patches.

Aside from eyebrow color and premature hair loss, diabetes can cause your hair to grow in slower than it did prior to diagnosis, or at a slower rate than men and women without diabetes. This is largely due to inflammation and the possibility of alopecia, as this condition involves your body’s cells launching an attack on healthy hair follicles.

 

What Is Your Hair Saying to You?

If you are currently undiagnosed, your hair may be telling you that diabetes is a possibility. If you already have been diagnosed, your hair might be indicating that your blood sugar and overall lifestyle are not quite right, and are in need of adjustment.

Conversely, if your hair is full, shiny, and similarly toned, your diabetes is likely well controlled. Hair is an excellent indicator of overall health. Dry, brittle hair can mean that your body is not receiving enough nutrients, while oily or limp hair can indicate an overabundance of unhealthy foods. These issues are common to everyone, not only diabetes patients, but may be even more obvious or prevalent due to the likelihood of increased inflammation in diabetics.

Hair is not simply a dead thing on top of your head. Instead, it can offer a window into your body’s health and strength, including your blood sugar levels and lifestyle choices. For clues into your diabetes management protocols, check in with your hair, and take heed of any information it provides.

References

Acta Dermatovenerol. Accessed 9/2/17.

Healthline. Accessed 9/2/17.

Beyond Type 1. Accessed 9/2/17.