A study by Hairline International Research and Treatment Centre has released a report which links the presence of Teflon particles in blood with hair fall patients.
Teflon contains Perfluorooctanoate Acid (PFOA), it is most commonly marketed for its non-stick properties on Teflon coated cooking utensils, and these particles may even be found in water and certain food packaging. Consuming food from these utensils and packaging allows PFOA particles to enter our bloodstream.
What did the study find out about Teflon and hair loss?
The observational study was carried out over the period of one year at six centres of the organisation. In total there were 1000 participants – 500 in the cases and 500 in the control groups. Out of the case group, who were almost daily consuming foods from non-stick cookware, 401 participants tested positive for the presence of PFOA in their blood.
The 500 members of the control group were also almost daily consuming foods from earthen pots, steel or aluminium cookware, yet only 15 participants were PFOA positive.
The study concluded that eighty percent of patients who visited the clinic had some level of PFOA present in their blood, almost two thirds of patients had developed high cholesterol or hypothyroidism and seventy percent of women had developed Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD), both of which conditions can lead to hair loss.
PFOA has an average elimination half-life of three years and some previous older research links the presence of PFOA with bladder, colon and prostate cancers. This could be because once PFOA enters our body, the kidneys and liver have to metabolise it which gives way for these particles to considerably affect larger organs over time.
What Do These Findings Mean?
Despite the findings of this research, it is important to remember that a considerably large part of the population will already have traces of PFOA in their bloodstream anyway. The research does not prove nor suggest any cause and effect relationship between PFOA and hair loss – it simply suggests that there could be a link. Therefore unless there is further research and evidence provided, the link between Teflon and hair loss is only a theory at most.
