Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin - Reason for hair loss

elan164 Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:09 pm

http://www.dannyroddy.com/main/2011/7/19/prolactin-the-most-likely-cause-of-male-pattern-baldness.html

"Meredith Harbour Yetter is an amazing woman. Not only is she a fan of my silly weblog, but she tipped me off to an excellent interview where my squeeze Dr. Ray Peat did a whole podcast on the topic of hair loss. To say that it was one of the most exciting hours of my life is an understatement.

To summarize, Peat believes that prolactin, serotonin, estrogen, and cortisol are the main culprits in hair loss. Peat spends most of the interview talking about prolactin's relation to MPB.

Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin

I couldn't help but laugh at the exchange between Peat and the woman co-host as she explained the tired old dihydrotestosterone (DHT) theory of male pattern baldness. Peat corrects her, stating that there is no evidence suggesting that a "sensitivity" to testosterone is behind MPB.

While I believe DHT has a hand in hair loss (if it didn't Propecia would have zero effect), I believe it to be downstream from much more important issues.

Overview:

It appears that prolactin along with other stress hormones are elevated in those who are prematurely balding.

There is conflicting information on the web, but prolactin may increase the activity of the 5-alpha reductase enzyme.
Prolactin has been found to modulate hair growth in mice, as well as be a target for human hair follicles.
Serotonin increases prolactin, which may increase hair loss (here and here).
Prolactin increaes Interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker that is correlated with hair loss.
Prolactin inhibits thyroid function (Kharrazian), and low thyroid promotes prolactin, which can both cause hair loss.

What to do about it?

Zinc seems to decrease prolactin (here and here).
Dietary tryptophan can increase prolactin levels. However, tryptophan is unavoidable if one is consuming animal products, so assuring that tryptophan converts into niacin, and not serotonin, is desirable. Obtaining an adequate intake of B6, B2, iron, and Vitamin A can increase the conversion of tryptophan to niacin. Peat suggests that the calcium to phosphate ratio is also important.
An increase in parathyroid hormone (possible deficiencies of vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin A, zinc, magnesium or calcium) can cause an increase in prolactin. Obtaining adequate calcium, as well as the cofactors needed to absorb calcium is probably a smart idea. Sodium and adequate protein may also increase calcium absorption.
Estrogen increases prolactin secreation. This is a topic for another post, but you can maintain a healthy estrogen level by providing the liver with enough sugar and avoiding dietary polyunsaturated fats.
Alcohol consumption can increase prolactin.
Salt restriction increases serotonin, which can increase prolactin."

Video link:

http://archive.kmud.org/mp3/kmud_110715_190000fritalk.mp3

Peoples opinions?

fredounet Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:14 pm

interesting, what is more interesting is the cause of the cause, I'm not an expert like CS, but IMO, the stress hormones = infections

a<r Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:49 pm

Haven't read the entire thing yet but on the note of infection and stress, gut flora is the key. Great post elan, and Danny.

mphatesmpb Sat Jul 23, 2011 12:58 pm

Pretty interesting stuff. If you click on the second link however, the study only found that elevated levels of prolactin were only found in women with androgenetic alopecia.

Hormonal basis of male and female androgenic alopecia: clinical relevance.
Schmidt JB.
Source

Department of Dermatology, University of Vienna Medical School, Austria.
Abstract

A broad range of hormones was determined in males and females with androgenic hair loss (AH). The androgens testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, 17-hydroxyprogesterone and sex hormone binding globulin were evaluated in 65 male and 46 female patients. Besides estradiol (E2), cortisol (F), and the hypophyseal hormones LH, FSH, and prolactin (PRL) were investigated. Hormone levels were compared with those of 58 age-matched male and 45 female controls. In 38 of the 46 female AH patients, hypophyseal function was moreover evaluated by the 'TRH test', which detects slight, secondary hypothyroidism and/or hyperprolactinemia. Our findings showed a significant elevation of F in both male and female AH patients compared to controls, pointing to the suprarenes as a contributing factor in AH. This is confirmed by the observation of exacerbated AH in periods of increased stress. Concerning specifically male androgens, a significant elevation of androstenedione was noted. The mainly peripheral activity of this hormone and elevated E2 levels in males stress the importance of androgen metabolism especially at the peripheral level. Additional TRH tests in females demonstrated significant hypophyseal hypothyroidism. Multilayered interaction between thyroid hormones and androgens may contribute to the development of AH in hyperthyroid patients. Another significant finding was elevated PRL after TRH stimulation. Thus, the androgen-stimulating effect of PRL may also play a role in female AH. Our findings show multilayered hormonal influences in AH. Broad-range hormone determination demonstrated a differentiated hormonal situation in this disorder.

Granted, I've seen studies showing that sufficient concentrations of prolactin can directly induce resting phase in hair follicles. So elevated levels of prolactin can definitely exacerbate male pattern baldness.

It's becoming clear that stress is one of the major contributors to MPB. Unfortunately it's also the hardest factor to prevent and manage...you can have the optimal diet, but stress will still destroy your hair.

magic_gro Sat Jul 23, 2011 6:18 pm

am i the only one who's noticing three points where these guys go the opposite direction of what has been the consensus on this forum? i am referring to (1) iron, (2) calcium and (3) sugars.

Now, this is not necessarily in contrast with what is the consensus in this forum, but seems to remind that one has to look at what really it means when he reads statements like "calcium is the culprit" or similar...

(1)

elan164, quoting Dan Roddy, wrote:Dietary tryptophan can increase prolactin levels. However, tryptophan is unavoidable if one is consuming animal products, so assuring that tryptophan converts into niacin, and not serotonin, is desirable. Obtaining an adequate intake of B6, B2, iron, and Vitamin A can increase the conversion of tryptophan to niacin.

(2)

elan164, quoting Dan Roddy, wrote:Peat suggests that the calcium to phosphate ratio is also important.
An increase in parathyroid hormone (possible deficiencies of vitamin D, vitamin K, vitamin A, zinc, magnesium or calcium) can cause an increase in prolactin. Obtaining adequate calcium, as well as the cofactors needed to absorb calcium is probably a smart idea. Sodium and adequate protein may also increase calcium absorption.

(3)

elan164, quoting Dan Roddy, wrote:Estrogen increases prolactin secreation. This is a topic for another post, but you can maintain a healthy estrogen level by providing the liver with enough sugar and avoiding dietary polyunsaturated fats.

regarding (2), sugars, here's another quote from another post on the same blog cited by elan164:

Danny Roddy (on his blog) wrote:Peat's philosophy on restraining the stress response and eagle eyeing thyroid, aldosterone, prolactin, and estrogen is a breath of fresh air in a primal wonderland ruled by sugar phobia.

from: http://www.dannyroddy.com/main/2011/6/6/ray-peat-raw-paleo-ftw.html

regarding (3), calcium and especially the calcium to phosphate ratio,

(3)

Danny Roddy (on his blog) wrote:The ratio of calcium to phosphorous should be very high. If you're under stress, the phosphate becomes more a problem and adds to the stress. Meat and whole grains are major sources of phosphate. You have to be more concerned with your calcium intake if you have a meat or grained based diet.

from: http://www.dannyroddy.com/main/2011/7/14/excess-serotonin-in-context-part-ii.html

what are your thoughts on these points?

thank you!

mphatesmpb Sun Jul 24, 2011 2:06 am

Now, this is not necessarily in contrast with what is the consensus in this forum, but seems to remind that one has to look at what really it means when he reads statements like "calcium is the culprit" or similar...

High amounts of dietary calcium will not cause tissue calcification. I read somewhere that insufficient levels of calcium in the bloodstream cause the body to move calcium out of the bones. Getting enough dietary calcium and vitamin K2 help keep calcium in the bones and out of the soft tissue.

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Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin - Reason for hair loss

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Re: Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin - Reason for hair loss

Re: Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin - Reason for hair loss

Re: Cortisol <> Prolactin <> Estrogen <> Serotonin - Reason for hair loss