Pumping Iron Can Lead to Male-Pattern Hair Loss, New Research Found

Male bodybuilders who pump iron three days a week and more can be at an increased risk of becoming bald, a new study revealed. Scientists discovered that heavy lifting on a regular basis greatly increases circulating levels of testosterone – a male hormone involved in hair loss. After an intense bodybuilding session, testosterone soars and a part of it can be converted by specific enzymes into DHT – a chemical substance that attacks and damages healthy hair follicles, thus inducing male-pattern alopecia.

The researchers discovered that men who had been engaged in regular bodybuilding exercise for two years and longer were prone to suffering from significant hair loss that could eventually lead to complete baldness. Experts say that each 45-minute weight training session lifts up blood testosterone levels by about 25 percent. Within approximately 30 minutes after the end of the workout, most testosterone is converted into toxic DHT, which shrinks hair roots and damages follicular cells. As the result, hair starts falling out, especially in the frontal areas of the scalp. Unfortunately, such type of baldness does not resolve itself naturally, but requires a prolonged treatment with pharmaceutical medications. Even with therapy, hair loss may continue.

It is estimated that the hair-damaging action of testosterone-based DHT is a key cause of male-pattern baldness. The second biggest cause of hair loss in men has to do with genetics.

The scientists also found that female bodybuilders can run the same risk for developing testosterone-induced baldness as their male peers. The level of balding hormones tends to increase in heavy weight lifters of both sexes.

Richard Dunn