Gym goers warned as protein powders could be making them bald

If you're thinking about getting serious at the gym this year, you might have considered looking at using protein powders to get the most out of your workout sessions.

Though there's been some evidence that suggests protein powders can, in fact, contribute towards balding, and it's not the first health warning around protein powders to hit the news recently either.

The good news is that if you're bald, you can skip this article. And if you you're ginger, well, you might want to start upping your protein powder intake.

Plus, there is more good news: while protein powder can still cause hair loss in women, it is much less likely, unless you have a genetic condition or a hormonal imbalance.

Why can protein powder cause hair loss?

Protein shakes are one of the most popular beverages sold in gyms. They can help your muscles heal up, ensuring you don't do any long-lasting damage, and stopping you from potentially injuring yourself.

While they not only have health benefits for gym goers, they're also quick and convenient. So far, so good.

These protein drinks cause an increase in testosterone as creatine and growth hormones are broken down and converted into a chemical known as dihydrotesterone (DHT).

Increased levels of DHT causes hair follicles to shrink and die, which of course then leads to hair loss.

Protein shakes are extremely popular due to their convenience (Galina Zhigalova/Getty Images)

Should you stop taking protein powder?

You don't necessarily need to stop taking protein powder to avoid hair loss.

If you've got a healthy diet, and you're hair is anything like mine (grows so thick and fast it needs a chainsaw to be cut) you probably don't need to worry about it, unless you start to notice thinning.

But, if you already suffer from hair thinning, or a hormonal imbalance, instead of simply stopping protein shakes, you could instead look at swapping them out for an organic alternative that doesn't contain DHT.

If you're unsure, check the protein shakes label, or ask at the gym of the shake contains creatine. If you can swap out for shakes that don't contain it, you should be fine.

Organic protein shakes can offer a safer alternative (Oscar Wong/Getty Images)

Your hair can recover

If you're a fitness freak, and find yourself at the gym with a protein shake often, you might have already started to notice some thinning.

While it's not guaranteed, in some cases, cutting out protein shakes could result in hair regrowth.

However, this will likely only happen to hair follicles that have shrunk, the ones that have been destroyed won't be coming back I'm afraid.

So, it might be time to invest in a hat.