IF you've been finding that you've been losing hair, your sweet drink addiction could be the culprit. A 2022 study out of Beijing, China, has found a link between the two, specifically for male-pattern-type balding.

Published in the journal Nutrients last month, the study, 'The association between sugar-sweetened beverages and male pattern hair loss in young men', out of Tsinghua University, Beijing, was conducted to investigate the association between sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and male-pattern hair loss in young men.

Those with male pattern hair loss were found to consume more deep-fried food, sugar and honey, and sweets and ice cream, and consumed fewer vegetables. Those who drank sugar-sweetened beverages — including soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, or ice tea — more than seven times per week were more likely to have male-pattern hair loss.

Male-pattern hair loss is hair loss and thinning of the hair that affects the hairline and crown of the head. It's said to affect up to one in every two men over 40, but is not gender specific. Called androgenetic alopecia, this hair loss in men and women is in a well-defined pattern, beginning above both temples.

Aesthetician Nicola Meredith said this is an important finding for women, too, and this type of hair loss can also be linked to stress and an unhealthy lifestyle.

"According to this study, the solution could be as simple as cutting back on the sugar," Meredith said. "For years we have been saying that what you eat reflects on your hair and skin, and here is scientific proof that this statement was right."