Low Carb Diet - Cortisol - Diffuse Hair Loss

When I first joined this forum months ago I wrote my story about how my hair loss got kicked started by South Beach diet ( similar to Atkins low carb diet). I had very thick hair at age 25 and no sign of hair loss and this diet ruined my hair, everything started immediately after this diet. For years I wondered what exactly happened when I did the diet and why the hair loss was not temporary as seen on other fad diet related hair loss.

It appears more evidence has accumulated over the years about low carb diets and its relation to hair loss due to extremely high levels of CORTISOL, aka the stress hormone.
Cortisol has an intimate relation with other hormones like insulin, T , DHEA and DHT. Any extreme spike in the levels may result in long term imbalances of one's hormones.

I am now pretty convinced that the root cause of my hair loss is CORTISOL.

If you heavily shed hair following a period of time you drink a lot of coffee or other high caffeine beverages and if you are a diffuser then you have the same CORTISOL problem. caffeine increases cortisol levels a lot and it is the main indicator if you have cortisol induced hair loss.

DHT blockers will help you but your main problem is not DHT. Saw palmetto or Beta sitesterol did not help me for example. Fin did help me but with the side effects.

If you take high doses of B-5 and if it helps you that is another sign of CORTISOL induced hair loss. Why? because B-5 is involved in adrenals and CORTISOL levels.

If you have face or body acne and diffuse hair loss, once again they are both related to excessive CORTISOL and related hormonal mechanisms.

Cortisol reducing herbs/supplements should technically help. When I started Ashwagandha my body acne cleared in two weeks. Then I saw the belgian guy and his success story on this forum and his use of B-5 in mega doses, then I started putting pieces together and this is my conclusion. CORTISOL is probably the cause of hair loss for MOST diffusers, not all but a good portion of it. Unless you do something about it everything else will have marginal benefit or a lot of side effects.

This information may not pertain to other types of MPB

You need to eat some carbs not supplement with ashwagandha. The raised cortisol is your bodies way of keeping you alive, you don't want to suppress it with herbs.

abc123 wrote:You need to eat some carbs not supplement with ashwagandha. The raised cortisol is your bodies way of keeping you alive, you don't want to suppress it with herbs.

I dont do low carb diet anymore , I only did it for three months, which was enough to screw things up.

idyes wrote:

abc123 wrote:You need to eat some carbs not supplement with ashwagandha. The raised cortisol is your bodies way of keeping you alive, you don't want to suppress it with herbs.

I dont do low carb diet anymore , I only did it for three months, which was enough to screw things up.

Yeah your story is not uncommon unfortunately, it is a very dangerous diet. It seems most low carber's breaking point is <1 year.

I've been a low carber for more than a couple of years now. No problems to report, but then I don't drink heavily or smoke.

Diet is mainly vegies, meat and eggs, dairy and little fruit and even less potatoes. I stay away from HFCS and grains, but eat an occasional non gluten grain. The HFCS were the hardiest to kick, the grains at first, but then after staying away from them for so long, I've become sensitive what they were doing to my body and mind every time.

So what's the deal with B-5 now? in another thread one poster reminded me that there was an issue with people on B-5. People blamed B5 for hair loss or thinning hair. I remember back somewhere 2000-05 people where complaining about B5 but haven't read any discussion on it til recently.

Forgot to add, I drink a lot of coffee, I make my own espressos maybe 3-4 times a day.

There is no one correct diet, or ratio of carbs, protein or fat for anyone. This has been proven time again for decades.

On a side note, check out this interesting study on coffee:

FEBS Lett. 2006 Jul 24;580(17):4081-5. Epub 2006 Jun 27.
Coffee inhibits the reactivation of glucocorticoids by 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1: a glucocorticoid connection in the anti-diabetic action of coffee?
Atanasov AG, Dzyakanchuk AA, Schweizer RA, Nashev LG, Maurer EM, Odermatt A.
Source
Division of Nephrology and Hypertension, Department of Clinical Research, University of Berne, Freiburgstrasse 15, 3010 Berne, Switzerland.

Recent epidemiological studies demonstrated a beneficial effect of coffee consumption for the prevention of type 2 diabetes, however, the underlying mechanisms remained unknown. We demonstrate that coffee extract, corresponding to an Italian Espresso, inhibits recombinant and endogenous 11beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11beta-HSD1) activity. The inhibitory component is heat-stable with considerable polarity. Coffee extract blocked 11beta-HSD1-dependent cortisol formation, prevented the subsequent nuclear translocation of the glucocorticoid receptor and abolished glucocorticoid-induced expression of the key gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase. We suggest that at least part of the anti-diabetic effects of coffee consumption is due to inhibition of 11beta-HSD1-dependent glucocorticoid reactivation.

yes but coffee extract is not the same as coffee with caffeine in it. Extracts usually remove the caffeine.

masterfree on Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:25 pm
yes but coffee extract is not the same as coffee with caffeine in it

You mean decaffeinated coffee?
There's a couple of different processes used, but you still end up with a little caffeine.

tonyj wrote:

masterfree on Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:25 pm
yes but coffee extract is not the same as coffee with caffeine in it

You mean decaffeinated coffee?
There's a couple of different processes used, but you still end up with a little caffeine.

What I meant was it is the caffeine in coffee that increases cortisol. Other components of coffee may well help reduce cortisol levels but unless you drink decaf it is not helpful to drink coffee. It is also misleading to refer to a study where coffee extract and not actual coffee was used to reduce cortisol levels.

masterfree Today at 11:48 am

tonyj wrote:

masterfree on Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:25 pm
yes but coffee extract is not the same as coffee with caffeine in it


You mean decaffeinated coffee?
There's a couple of different processes used, but you still end up with a little caffeine.



What I meant was it is the caffeine in coffee that increases cortisol

I've seen studies where caffeine increased cortisol , but Cortisol levels were highest and spiked when caffeine was avoided prior to a study compared to habitual drinkers. So the high cortisol levels depends on whether you drink coffee regularly or you're a first time consumer.

The coffee extract study was meant to be a side-note. Cortisol can be controlled using Panax Ginseng. It also has pro hair growth qualities.

It is also misleading to refer to a study where coffee extract and not actual coffee was used to reduce cortisol levels.

I'm sure the study came to the conclusion that "further test were needed" to identify the nutrients or chemicals that give the anti-diabetic effect. But I think they would use both extracts of the Italian espresso, aliqouts of the extract and the other extract run through some charcoal filter to do a comparison.

I'm a diffuse thinner and would describe myself as easily stressed, yet a recent test I had showed I had below average levels of cortisol.

TexasMedicine wrote:I'm a diffuse thinner and would describe myself as easily stressed, yet a recent test I had showed I had below average levels of cortisol.

you may have adrenal fatigue. That happens after you exhaust your adrenals with overproduction of cortisol for years. Body finally gives up and cannot make adequate levels of cortisol. I am not saying you have this but if you have other symptoms of adrenal fatigue you may have gone through a high cortisol phase prior to ending up with low cortisol.

We now also know that Astressin-B has hair growth potential and it is directly connected with HPA axis and cortisol levels. Check the research.

OP, I agree with you, I work at a lumber mill and baldness is close to non-existent here, but there's a guy who has a thinning hair all over the top of his scalp and he's only 22 years old. IMO the reason why is because he works 60 hours a week and goes to school full time, gets off work at 3 in the morning then has to be in class by 9 AM. I don't know how he handles it but the lack of sleep certainly takes a toll on his adrenals.

And would you also agree that receding hairline is due to estrogen dominance? Receding hairline is what happens to almost all men in generations gone by, it's perfectly normal to have your hairline recede as you get past your 40's and your testosterone drops.

I'm interested in how you came to your conclusion on cortisol and its relation to diffuse hairloss. Also, what does eating low-carb have to do with cortisol? What I do know is that a high protein diet drastically reduces testosterone levels.

I'm a diffuse thinner and every time I go through a stressful period I visibly can see it get worse. Unfortunately, I do get stressed easily, which results in poor sleep, which results in more stress...