Obesity is a worldwide epidemic that predisposes individuals to many age-associated diseases. Hair follicles—mini-epithelial organs that grow hair—are miniaturized by ageing to cause hair loss through the depletion of hair follicle stem cells.

Hair follicles are mini-organs from which new hair constantly grows. The basis for new hair growth is the proper function of hair follicle stem cells (HFSCs)

The worldwide renown researcher and professor of genetics on Harvard, David Sinclaire, famous for his work on hair loss and anti-aging, has announced that obesity accelerates hair loss by harming the hair stem cells. Obesity-induced stress, such as that induced by a high-fat diet (HFD), targets HFSCs to accelerate hair thinning explains doctor Hironobu Morinaga, from Department of Stem Cell Biology, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University,  in his paper.

In her practical work with patients, Dr Arsova also found a association between obesity and hair loss. Very often patients with obesity also have insulin resistency and diabetes, or metabolic syndrome, that affect the androgen metabolism and respectively the progression of androgenetic alopecia.