What is the current view here on the role of high blood sugar in MPB?

I've been thinking about it more recently. I've been thinking that... if, as I theorise, Candidiasis is a core cause of MPB, perhaps the reason it is so rampant in today's society is our poor diets and how these encourage hyperglycemia.

I remember before my MPB started I was eating SO much carbohydrate it was just unreal.

Also erm, this last 10 days I was consuming far lower amounts of carbs, and I'm sure my scalp was behaving a bit more. It was still fairly bad but... I'm sure it wasn't AS bad. And then when I went back to eating more carbs over the last 24 hours it seems worse. I dunno, could be imagining it. Or it might be that the higher blood sugar is encouraging the Candida in my blood and leading to more dandruff and therefore more MPB.

I don't really know what I could take to control it without limiting my sugar intake so much that life is no longer fun!

Berberine? Lipoic acid? Apple cider vinegar?

Dunno o.O

Anyway, I hope you guys write your thoughts and I hope you are all well!


Hoppi

hoppipolla - Allow me to attempt to demystify MPB. Is it caused by Candida? No. Imagine though....can Candidia exacerbate it? Certainly. Could it possibly be a result of something else wrong? Absolutely. Does that mean that getting rid of Candida will fix it? No. Does that mean that getting rid of what might causing Candida ultimately help with hair? Yes. Is it the complete answer? No.

Hope this helps.

Let's go further shall we?

The influence of androgens exacerbate toxicity reactions. Could it be that Candida might be protecting you from something? Yes.

What happens if you just focus on killing Candida? Chaos.

So what is the missing link here? Toxins

High blood sugar, to me, has more systemic ill effects on your physiology than candidiasis alone, although its a viscous circle and one exacerbates the other.

But I'm saying blood sugar doesn't have to have its hair-negative effects via candida, rather it can exert powerfully bad effects on the whole body regardless of whether you have a yeast overgrowth.

High blood sugar is probably one of the most stressful lifestyle-induced conditions we promote. In the cardiovascular sense, it basically just equates to inflammation and every aspect of the system suffers as a result of vascular inflammation.

The correlations between MPB, insulin responses, and metabolic syndrome are too great to ignore. There is definitely a connection here, but Hoppi I believe you are inserting the things you are wanting to find into the causal chain rather than trying to hash out what is actually a part of that chain. If I'm being honest and sincere with you man - and totally respectfully - I would forget the candida issue. It is not and will never be the prime cause in MPB. Like CS said, the problems brought on by candidiasis probably can and do influence hair growth, but your focus should be on upstream factors which promote the yeast overgrowth. Yeast overgrowth can be controlled ecologically with diet (they should not be wiped out with a barrage of antifungals), and looking at the types of metal deficiencies/overloads that support candida overgrowth is necessary.

I forgot to answer about the blood sugar connection. I followed this connection closely from the first time it was mentioned in the medical literature....this was quite a long time ago and believe me, the opposition to that concept at that time was tremendous. Very few wanted to believe it.

Several years following, studies have been repeated and so it seems that those with the more aggressive hair will have noticeable failings in glucose metabolisms.

One of the biggest myths about Candida is that you "have" to eat without sugar/carbs....this is an epic myth. Why?
Because Candida eats *everything*

Now....during my MPB days I had horrific thrush. It is often associated with poor health....although it is there for a reason.

So what is the best way to deal with High blood sugar then? I was looking at buying a blood sugar testing kit to confirm if I have issues, certainly do feel the pulse pumping after eating white basmati rice, honey, sometimes potatoes. That's why I suggested in another thread that maybe its worthwhile to do the diabetes 2 diet for a while to bring the blood sugar levels down. Guy in this article apparently cured his diabetes in 11 days on the diet, if I'm understanding the article correctly, hard to tell though - newspaper articles seem to be ambiguous and contradictory, but see what you think -

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/may/12/type-2-diabetes-diet-cure

I imagine the only way to know is if I try it, but I've already lost a ton of weight from quitting wheat and dairy, if I go on a diabetes diet I will be a skeleton, but it might be worth it if I lower my blood sugar.

Also CS, in another thread you were mentioning intermittent fasting being helpful for hair loss. Maybe I need to consider that. Is that like 3 days of fasting every 2 weeks or something?

Thanks

Intermittent fasting can be helpful. There are different ways to do it. Some people go with full days of fasting. Fast for a day, then eat. Fast for a day, then eat. In this method, you're shooting for weekly calorie totals, not daily. Another common way of going about it, ala Perfect Health Diet, involves lowered caloric intake (or none at all) for two days out of the week. So you're eating normally for five days of the week, fasting for two of your choice. Lastly, there is intermittent fasting in which you eat daily, but within a "feeding" window. A typical regime is to fast for around 18 hours and give yourself a 6 hour feeding window. It usually involves fasting for most of your morning and afternoon, perhaps starting the feeding window at 3 p.m. and carrying it though 9 p.m., then not eating anything until 3 p.m. the following day. Some people use shorter feeding windows.

No matter how you do it, these should all benefit your overall blood sugar levels. I prefer the daily feeding window approach.

Of course food choice plays an important role in this. The safest bet would probably not be to avoid all carbohydrate but to eat moderate levels of fruit and perhaps some safe starches in absolute moderation. Stay away from HFCS and any refined simple sugar. Of course, these rules aren't hard and fast and change depending on your activity levels. On that note, saving the majority of your carb for the few hours after your highest activity (a workout for example) has big effects.

On the more extreme end of the dieting for blood sugar, a keto diet can be therapeutic. I don't like them long term, but for people who are naturally inclined to blood sugar problems they can have big benefits, particularly mentally in my case. Insulin sensitivity will go through the roof from a short term keto diet.

People pooh-pooh the Zone Diet for some reason, but it really works to reduce blood sugar.  It's basically just a framework for eating healthy.   You can have a very varied diet on the Zone (even starch) if you keep your proportions of protein : fat : carb in "the Zone".

Whenever I can exert the discipline to eat healthy I always do a version of the Zone Diet.   It always works.  My terminal problem is I essentially lack discipline.  I can't be consistent.  Which isn't a reflection of the people I take advice from or whose eating styles I espouse.   The chronic problems I have with blood sugar are all about me.

whodathunkit wrote:People pooh-pooh the Zone Diet for some reason, but it really works to reduce blood sugar.  It's basically just a framework for eating healthy.   You can have a very varied diet on the Zone (even starch) if you keep your proportions of protein : fat : carb in "the Zone".

Whenever I can exert the discipline to eat healthy I always do a version of the Zone Diet.   It always works.  My terminal problem is I essentially lack discipline.  I can't be consistent.  Which isn't a reflection of the people I take advice from or whose eating styles I espouse.   The chronic problems I have with blood sugar are all about me.

Thanks, I'll research this diet.

I agree with you Whoda, and I think what you said rings true for most people, its just biases in our own thinking try to externalize the problem and put the blame on other things, or find rationalizations why we shouldn't stick with things. The formula for weight loss and for blood sugar maintenance isn't some mystery code, in my opinion, its just that the answer isn't usually easily reconciled with the sensory things we tend to find the most pleasurable.

AS54 wrote:Intermittent fasting can be helpful. There are different ways to do it. Some people go with full days of fasting. Fast for a day, then eat. Fast for a day, then eat. In this method, you're shooting for weekly calorie totals, not daily. Another common way of going about it, ala Perfect Health Diet, involves lowered caloric intake (or none at all) for two days out of the week. So you're eating normally for five days of the week, fasting for two of your choice. Lastly, there is intermittent fasting in which you eat daily, but within a "feeding" window. A typical regime is to fast for around 18 hours and give yourself a 6 hour feeding window. It usually involves fasting for most of your morning and afternoon, perhaps starting the feeding window at 3 p.m. and carrying it though 9 p.m., then not eating anything until 3 p.m. the following day. Some people use shorter feeding windows.

No matter how you do it, these should all benefit your overall blood sugar levels. I prefer the daily feeding window approach.

Of course food choice plays an important role in this. The safest bet would probably not be to avoid all carbohydrate but to eat moderate levels of fruit and perhaps some safe starches in absolute moderation. Stay away from HFCS and any refined simple sugar. Of course, these rules aren't hard and fast and change depending on your activity levels. On that note, saving the majority of your carb for the few hours after your highest activity (a workout for example) has big effects.

On the more extreme end of the dieting for blood sugar, a keto diet can be therapeutic. I don't like them long term, but for people who are naturally inclined to blood sugar problems they can have big benefits, particularly mentally in my case. Insulin sensitivity will go through the roof from a short term keto diet.

Thanks for all that info. I'll research those fasting approaches. it would be good if I could do something like that and get back up to my normal weight at the same time. When you quit wheat, butter and cheese you realize just how much they contribute to daily calories and its hard to replace those on a low budget.

How is your progress? Have you manged to get scalp inflammation/ itch under control (if that was an issue for you) ?

Cheers

Diet is a really tricky thing. There is no one correct diet for everyone.

There are types of diary that might benefit. Plus why throw out the butter? It is often very beneficial.

A lot of people who have hair loss face a real conundrum with the carbohydrate thing...I for one do not avoid them.
In fact when given the choice, I opt for HFCS instead of cane sugar.

There's a real special reason for it. Experimentation is the best bet outside of measuring your metabolic type.

[quote="CausticSymmetry" Plus why throw out the butter? It is often very beneficial. [/quote]

Its just I read pasteurized dairy was bad for the body because of the protein structure and I think I would have a real problem finding raw dairy round here. Also, now that I have quit eating bread, I have nothing to spread it on.  

Mercola clearly states that the window for daily IF should be at least 16 hours.

When it comes to carbohydrates, we should not forget that one of the most physically active group of people (and perhaps also one of the most healthy ones) 80/10/10 vegans/frutarians...but they tend to leave out refined carbs and focus on organic fruits and veggies, which is key.

Personally, I dig this approach but would probably add some high quality meat/whey, occasionally.

Misirlou wrote:Mercola clearly states that the window for daily IF should be at least 16 hours.

When it comes to carbohydrates, we should not forget that one of the most physically active group of people (and perhaps also one of the most healthy ones) 80/10/10 vegans/frutarians...but they tend to leave out refined carbs and focus on organic fruits and veggies, which is key.

Personally, I dig this approach but would probably add some high quality meat/whey, occasionally.

Before my hair started falling out I was heading towards vegetarianism with a lot of raw, but when the hair loss hit I cut out wheat, and dairy and my weight plummeted. I don't know how these raw vegans aren't walking skeletons; they must have to eat a hell of a lot.

Without eating wheat and dairy I am having to spend loads on food, so to go raw organic with the amount necessary to eat to sustain weight I would have to be quite rich.

Are raw vegans able to stop hair loss through their diet?

This is just my experience, but I was a vegetarian/vegan/raw vegan for almost 15 years and that's when my health and hair was at it's worst.  After changing my diet, it still took a few years to actually gain some weight.

Danny Roddy has a lot of interesting stuff to say about blood sugar control, carbs, and liver health. You don't have to follow the Peat type diet to get something out of the information in his books. I got a lot out of his last book in particular and if I can grow a spine believe between that and everything else I've learned, I could probably lick my blood sugar issues. I just can't stay away from the junk food long enough to do me any good. That does not mean no sugar, just means like cheeseburgers, fries, cokes, etc. The worse your problem the longer you need to "clean up" and I can't manage it for more than a few months at a time. Not even that these days.

An inability to gain weight is a real problem, especially for hair loss, because this provides a lack of subcutaneous fat to protect against inflammation. In other words, it can make hair loss worse. Then there is the cortisol connection. Does cortisol rise up too high during a carbohydrate/sugar craving? Yes. Can elevated cortisol be worse for hair than elevated glucose? Yes.

For this reason I don't advise anyone to try to eat perfect or throw out carbohydrates, sugars etc.

For some, it maybe necessary to temporarily remove these foods, but not permanently.

Returning your body chemistry to normal cannot be achieved by diet alone. And in fact, a perfect diet is not necessary to accomplish this either.

trans fat + refined carbs + sugar is death to glucose control, though. I can eat a nice big breakfast with OJ, Ezekiel toast with butter, and some fried eggs, and be okay. But if I eat the same number of calories with a fast-food meal it will wreck my blood sugar control for a couple of days.

[quote="ElmoSuper8"]

Misirlou wrote:Without eating wheat and dairy I am having to spend loads on food, so to go raw organic with the amount necessary to eat to sustain weight I would have to be quite rich.

Yes, you are correct. It costs a lot of money if opting for going 100% organic. Having that said, fruits can add a lot of healthy calories without costing a fortune. I would suggest bananas and dates as interesting staple foods.

Hail unrefined schuggah!   

Misirlou wrote:

ElmoSuper8 wrote:

Misirlou wrote:Without eating wheat and dairy I am having to spend loads on food, so to go raw organic with the amount necessary to eat to sustain weight I would have to be quite rich.

Yes, you are correct. It costs a lot of money if opting for going 100% organic. Having that said, fruits can add a lot of healthy calories without costing a fortune. I would suggest bananas and dates as interesting staple foods.

Hail unrefined schuggah!   

Yeah bananas are good, just worried about them spiking the blood sugar. Diet is difficult.  

Interesting article on supps that can help to lower blood sugar -

http://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/herbs-supplements#1

Elmo, good list. I think the ALA/ALCAR combo thats been prescribed by CS here for a long time is pretty wonderful for managing blood sugar after eating. When I'm at the right dose, and assuming I haven't just exercised, it keeps me pretty balanced. Chromium is also effective, but its potent. I don't like taking a great deal, and it isn't my first choice. A lot of people don't get enough magnesium.

AS54 wrote:Elmo, good list. I think the ALA/ALCAR combo thats been prescribed by CS here for a long time is pretty wonderful for managing blood sugar after eating. When I'm at the right dose, and assuming I haven't just exercised, it keeps me pretty balanced. Chromium is also effective, but its potent. I don't like taking a great deal, and it isn't my first choice. A lot of people don't get enough magnesium.

Totally agree

AS54 wrote:Elmo, good list. I think the ALA/ALCAR combo thats been prescribed by CS here for a long time is pretty wonderful for managing blood sugar after eating. When I'm at the right dose, and assuming I haven't just exercised, it keeps me pretty balanced. Chromium is also effective, but its potent. I don't like taking a great deal, and it isn't my first choice. A lot of people don't get enough magnesium.

Yeah, article recommends chromium picolinate (from memory) but I have GTF Chromium chelavite so maybe its useless.

I actually currently think that reducing my sugar intake is the only thing in 5-6 years of battling this thing that has actually reduced my hair loss. I mean, it was only about 12-14 days so it's hard to say for sure, and it's not like I was perfect with it, but I was just sipping Coca-Cola and stuff throughout the day.

But... now that I've gone back to having lots of sugar (but still not mixing it with fibre much) my hair is PILING out again. I had a bath and there was hair EVERYWHERE. Which is weird because I'm just SURE that when I reduced my sugar intake it wasn't like that.

I'll keep looking into this I think.


I also started eating cheese again, and I know that increases sebum. So really the jury is out as to whether it was the dairy or the sugar. But I really think that WAS an improvement... so I will continue to pursue this and keep learning how to get rid of my Candidiasis too.