Paleolithic and McDougall diets

This discussion is not to compare the 2 (Paleolithic and McDougall) diets and find differences, instead I want to know how both these diets are similar in regards to hair regrowth.

For instance, in regards to hair growth, it is good to avoid dairy regardless which diet you are on (the Paleolithic or the McDougall).

What are other dietary similarities / aspects that both diets (remember: from the perspective of a the person wanting to improve hair health), what are the shared principles?

Thanks

ezmbh wrote:This discussion is not to compare the 2 (Paleolithic and McDougall) diets and find differences, instead I want to know how both these diets are similar in regards to hair regrowth.

For instance, in regards to hair growth, it is good to avoid dairy regardless which diet you are on (the Paleolithic or the McDougall).

What are other dietary similarities / aspects that both diets (remember: from the perspective of a the person wanting to improve hair health), what are the shared principles?

Thanks

ezmbh, men with MPB are shown to have lower IGFBP's and SHBG than men without MPB. Low IGFBP's and SHBG allows too much growth-hormones and androgens flowing "free" in the blood. These hormones like free-IGF-1 and free-testosterone stimulate the sebaceous-glands to grow, which releases excess sebum, which feeds the P.Ovale; a natural fungus on everyone’s skin, but in heavy concentrations in the scalp because the scalp is where the majority of the sebaceous-glands are.

When the P.Ovale eats the sebum it causes inflammation, which then causes the hair to shed, but is left unable to regrow due to all the sebum, dead-skin-cells, fungus and inflammation up above.

Now, it all comes down to controlling your SHBG and IGFBP's. I'm going to leave out processed-foods because I think everyone knows it is absolutely devastating to health... but I believe there are other culprits too!

Animal-protein whether it be from an organic-grass-feed chicken or a corn-fed factory beef, is shown to directly lower SHBG and IGFBP's, allowing for the stimulating effects of free-testosterone and free-IGF-1, in fact, that is why protein helps things grow and get big, but the down-side to this is that is also is thought to regulate the aging process; the more you are stimulated to grow, the faster you age.

Animal protein is inversely related to SHBG opposite of fiber. So what are some other things that increase free-IGF-1 and free-testosterone? Milk (and other dairy-products). When you think about it, milks purpose is for rapid-growth and rapid-development. Studies show that the protein in the milk is the most powerful stimulator of free-IGF-1 yet discovered.

Fats, grease, and oils indirectly cause low IGFBP's and SHBG. Why? Because the fat you eat, literally turns into body-fat, no questions asked. Body-fat is your way of storing concentrated calories (9 calories per gram) for the next famine. Most Americans have so much extra body-fat that they could literally survive weeks if not months just off their body-fat stores!

The nasty on body-fat, is that body-fat becomes an organ, which secretes hormones like leptin, inflammatory cytokines like IL-6 and is a hot-spot for aromatase activity.

Aromatase is an enzyme, which turns free-testosterone into SHBG-bound-estrogen. Also body-fat especially if accumulated within the muscles or organs decreases insulin sensitivity by blocking insulin from entering the muscle, which takes insulin out of circulation, thus leaving the insulin to circulate back to the liver when it is able to inhibit IGFBP's and SHBG.

Also studies are clear that high-fat diets increase estrogen levels, but that makes perfect sense because what do you think is going to happen when you bite-down into a hunk of aromatase (animal-fat)? The fats and oils in meats, dairy-products, cooking-oils and processed-foods are already in the form of triglycerides and are effortlessly stored as body-fat.

Body-fat is hard to burn off, your body tries to save body-fat at all costs and much rather burn carbohydrates as its first fuel source because the brain runs exclusively on glucose. In order to burn body-fat as fuel, you have to be depleted of glycogen (stored-carbohydrates) and not consuming any calories.

The similarities between the two diets would be the complete avoidance of processed-foods (including cooking-oils) and exercise. But you have to remember our ancient ancestors living off the Paleolithic-diet didn’t get to eat as much as we do nowadays, I’m sure they didn’t get to eat at all some days, just living off of anything they could gather like berries, root-vegetables, and nuts. They were probably the hunted rather than the hunters. The whole persona of men eating raw-bloody-meat and being a complete carnivor is false in my view. Humans probably did hunt only when they had to… that is, they had to hunt (to get food) because they couldn’t gather any fruit or vegetables for some reason, like a drought.

Thank you, I wonder then if I stop eating meat, where can i get my protein from? I read that all starches are bad for hair, including beans (which I have been using as my protein source when I eat less meat). Beans are low glycemic, which is a good thing, right?

I understand how potatoes and wheat are to be avoided, even corn... but are beans bad?

Thanks in advance

Mcdougall diet really helped my hair

I'm considering trying to follow the Mcdougall diet for a month (to give it a try). I still will take fish oil, olive oil, and may eat some organic meat a few times a month.

But, now, back to the point, as it stands, this diet is high on starches... It is not a primarily hair-loss diet.

So how does one adapt this diet to help hair better? what are the 'things' I should I not eat that are a part of the Mcdougall (corn, potatoes?)?

CS,
In general, when I look at things like these: oat meal, beans, corn, wheat, whole wheat bread, ketchup, pasta, beats, sweat potatoes, rye, rice, water melons, bananas, etc. What should I use as my guideline to selecting which ones to eat and which to avoid? Is it true that the main factor to look for is their glycemic index?

Steven_Tyler wrote:Mcdougall diet really helped my hair

Interesting,
Did you both follow this diet exactly "as is" or did you make some modifications to specifically help with hair?

ezmbh wrote:

Steven_Tyler wrote:Mcdougall diet really helped my hair

Interesting,
Did you both follow this diet exactly "as is" or did you make some modifications to specifically help with hair?

I'm following the McDougall diet as it is (no modifications), I'm also eating raw vegetables and fruits and my hair and my skin is very good

i was at Bouchon in yountville around a month ago, fantastic restaurant by the way, and somebody in my group pointed out to me dr. john mccdougall and his wife sitting a couple of tables over. he is known in the napa/sonoma area amongst the locals and long time grape growers. now i could be totally wrong about this, but he appeared to be eating lamb chops. it definitely made for a good laugh, true or not.

this reminded me of an old friend of mine who said that he was friends with the late dr. paul bragg during the sixties. he always joked how bragg would sneak into this steakhouse in the SF bay area, a la through the back door, and would chow down on a nice porterhouse, booze it up, and finish with a fat cigar. he claimed bragg found his hypocrisy comical. this isn't the first time i had heard that bragg wasn't satiated by a "nice meal" consisting of a burger and fries. just take it as entertainment since you cannot prove it

mister e, i have thoroughly enjoyed the boards more since you have come here. i find your copy and paste style posts quite comical.

ezmbh wrote:Thank you, I wonder then if I stop eating meat, where can i get my protein from? I read that all starches are bad for hair, including beans (which I have been using as my protein source when I eat less meat). Beans are low glycemic, which is a good thing, right?

I understand how potatoes and wheat are to be avoided, even corn... but are beans bad?

Thanks in advance

Actually the less protein you eat the better. Eating less protein, like say just fruit, vegetables, whole-grains and high-fiber starches, lowers free-IGF-1 in the body and slows the aging process [1], lowering free-IGF-1 will lead to an increase in SHBG leading to less free-testosterone able to convert into DHT or estrogen . Plant proteins provide all the amino-acids we would ever need [2].

Starches are only bad for the hair with the addition of fats and oils, a perfect example is a baked-potato. If you eat the baked potato without butter, you will release insulin, which is then taken out of circulation by the muscles. If you eat the baked-potato with cheese and/or butter, the fat within the cheese and butter will inhibit the insulin that is caused by the starch from being taken out of circulation, leading to low-IGFBP's and low-SHBG.

The glycemic-index is faulty, it makes it look like dietary-fat or protein has no influence on insulin sensitivity, which is wrong. First off, dietary-protein (especially dairy-proteins) directly lowers SHBG and IGFBP's. Secondly, this is the most misunderstood, all dietary-fats decrease insulin sensitivity, some more than others. The way dietary-fat decrease your sensitivity to insulin is by enlarging the body-fat cells. Even the "heart-healthy" fish-oil is shown to be stored as body-fat, contributing to excess estrogen and insulin resistance.

Wheat contains gluten which some people might be Allergic to, but corn, potatoes, brown-rice, beans and fruits should provide the bulk of your calories.

Protein should be at 10% of your total calories [3], any more than that (especially if you flirt with animal-protein) and it might leech calcium from the bones causing sore-joints or osteoporosis (bone-loss) [4] [5]. The highly acidic foods are: meat, poultry, fish, seafood and cheese (parmesan cheese is the most acidic of all foods commonly consumed) [6]!

Dietary-fat should be kept at 5-10% maybe 15% at the very most. The body makes all the saturated-fat and monounsaturated-fat it would ever need, the only fats it can't make are your essential-fatty-acids which are found in all vegetables, fruits and legumes (beans, peas, lentils) and in much larger quantities in nuts, seeds, and avocados. Keeping fat low in the diet is important because a low-fat/high-fiber diet is shown to lower free-testosterone and total-estrogen levels [7] [8] [9] [10] [11].

The McDougall-diet is the ultimate diet. It leads to lower levels of free-IGF-1 [12] [13] [14] [15], free-testosterone [10] [11] and total-estrogen [7] [8] [9], leading to higher levels of IGFBP-bound-IGF-1 and SHBG-bound-testosterone [16].




[1] Long-term effects of calorie or protein restriction on serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentration in humans.
[2] The nutritional value of plant-based diets in relation to human amino acid and protein requirements.
[3] Minimum protein requirements of adults.
[4] Influence of diet on acid-base balance.
[5] Dietary Animal and Plant Protein and Human Bone Health: A Whole Foods Approach.
[6] Potential renal acid load of foods and its influence on urine pH.
[7] Effect of a low-fat diet on hormone levels in women with cystic breast disease.
[8] Effect of low-fat diet on female sex hormone levels.
[9] Effect of diet on the plasma levels, metabolism and excretion of estrogens.
[10] Effects of dietary fat and fiber on plasma and urine androgens and estrogens in men: a controlled feeding study.
[11] Low-Fat High-Fiber Diet Decreased Serum and Urine Androgens in Men.
[12] Dietary correlates of plasma insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations.
[13] Determinants of circulating insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations in a cohort of Singapore men and women.
[14] The influence of dietary intake on the insulin–like growth factor (IGF) system across three ethnic groups: a population–based study.
[15] The associations of diet with serum insulin–like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat–eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.
[16] Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men.

Steven_Tyler wrote:

I'm following the McDougall diet as it is (no modifications), I'm also eating raw vegetables and fruits and my hair and my skin is very good

Steven_Tyler. I'm really glad to hear you are doing good on the McDougall-diet!

These 2 views are confusing, very differing.. fat/no fat, oils/no oils, grains/no grains, all veggie/some meat, wheat/no wheat, potatoes/no potatoes, McDougall as is/paleolithic with modification, and both approaches work?

Maybe it depends on my metabolic type - but i cant figure the answers to the darn questionnaire, my diet choices are not cut clear so it's touch answering the questions here http://www.naturalhealthyellowpages.com/metabolic/self_test.html


I have nothing to loos, i can try both diets at a time and see what happens.

Studies and numbers matter.
I am sure there are studies supporting both sides.

That leaves numbers, I wonder how many of the people on this forum are on the McDougall diet and how many are not - who are seeing hair regrowth?

Also, since the McDougall diet has a movement of some sorts, I wonder if they reported hair growth in people that went on that diet.

I suspect most people going on the McDougall had serious diseases, and maybe the diet helped with the disease and thus the hair came back.. But what about those of us who dont have a serious issue like cancer or metabolic syndrome, will the McDougall have any effect or is the reason behind our hair loss different than the illnesses that are helped with McDougall wrranting a different approach to regrew the hair. MPB has many causes, and solutions, i am guessing.

To add on my previous post. I did a google search to see if a link has been made anywhere else between McDougall and hair loss and i didn't find much to speak of. As if hair regrowth is not a well-known 'side effect' of the McDougall diet. Otherwise it would have been mentioned on a few websites.

Instead i found this

Jeeez what an awful plan. I had a friend that went on this to help cure his prostate cancer. Well, it didn't work I hate to say. I have another runner friend who is vegan and she suffers from anemia and thyroid problems.

I was put on a low fat diet by Physician's Weight Loss Center and I lost hair too until I started taking flax oil and eating more fish. At least when something bad starts happening they adjust the "diet" for you. Any diet that doesn't allow oils like olive, flax or fish is stupid and possibly dangerous.

Female
5'10"
220/165/159

from http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/archive/t-27225.html

If McDougall diet grew hair in all people, and if it is a cure to hair loss then why isnt this mentioned more often by the people who regrew their hair (I'd expect hundreds of testimonials) on blogs and on the McDougall website itself?

ezmbh wrote:
If McDougall diet grew hair in all people, and if it is a cure to hair loss then why isnt this mentioned more often by the people who regrew their hair (I'd expect hundreds of testimonials) on blogs and on the McDougall website itself?

I'm not suggesting that the McDougall-diet will regrow hair; I'm suggesting that it will stop the progression of baldness hormonally. Combating the sebum, fungus, build-up, and inflammation on the scalp will help with regrowth.

misterE wrote:

I'm not suggesting that the McDougall-diet will regrow hair; I'm suggesting that it will stop the progression of baldness hormonally. Combating the sebum, fungus, build-up, and inflammation on the scalp will help with regrowth.

I not only want to stop the progression, I want to grow it back.

ezmbh wrote:

I not only want to stop the progression, I want to grow it back.

Well I would suggest the McDougall-diet along with some fasting. Then I would try and kill the P.Ovale on the scalp and exfoliate the dead-skin-cell build-up.

click

In the early 90's I read everything I could find on the "prudent diet," and because I was brainwashed, I implemented the low fat, high fiber, fruits and veggies and had a hard time understanding why I failed to thrive.

Directo - A very refreshing article from the usual pro fiber stance that is so prevalent in the media.

Directo, thanks for the article.

some Quotes:

After three years, tests showed the risk of developing another precancerous polyp was virtually the same in the two groups.

Dr Byers said the results are "disappointing."

Studies in other countries have shown that colorectal cancer rates are lower in areas of the world where people eat more fruits and vegetables, and that people from those areas increase their risk of cancer when they adopt a high-fat, low-fibre diet.

The American Institute for Cancer Research, a Washington-based charity that focuses exclusively on the link between diet and cancer, said the latest results from the NCI study "should not prompt people to abandon diets that have been consistently linked to reducing the risk of colon cancer"

I am new to the idea of eating fat and meats liberally.. i was leaning vegetarian in the past when i tried to improve my health. But I see Dr Price's research making sense.. On the other hand I read that eating meat causes bad breath and cancer etc..

Could you help me out, or anyone, and post links here to studies showing that a meat/fat diet is good, that it reduces the risk of cancer or heart disease or diabetes?

Taking online metabolic typing produced conflicting results, do you suggest I do a blood test to figure my metabolic type?

teacup wrote:

Could you help me out, or anyone, and post links here to studies showing that a meat/fat diet is good, that it reduces the risk of cancer or heart disease or diabetes?

Teacup, I suggest you try and find doctors who have reversed these diseases using a high-fat/meat-based diet, so far I have not been able to find any what so ever, in fact the opposite; Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn reversed heart-disease using an extremely-low-fat plant-based diet, Dr. Dean Ornish has shown prostate-cancer is also reversed using this diet and Dr. Neal Barnard has reversed diabetes using this diet too.