Intermittent fasting continues to gain popularity worldwide for its weight loss and other health benefits, including improvements in intestinal and muscular stem cell function^14,15. Chen et al. studied for similar effects in hair and skin tissue regeneration but found contrary results to those hypothesized¹⁶. In intermittently-fasted shaved mice, only partial hair regrowth was seen after 96 days of study treatment compared to near-complete hair regrowth after 30 days in mice with unlimited food access. This is due to the activation of adrenal glands during extended durations of fasting which triggers fatty acid release, disrupting hair follicle stem cell (HFSC) metabolism and leading to apoptosis. Regeneration of HFSCs are hence halted and hair regrowth is inhibited. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether these results are translatable to humans due to the different metabolic rates of human and mice. Until larger clinical trials are conducted to confirm this, intermittent fasting can still be safely practiced for its wider health benefits.

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