Wheat Consumption linked to Hair Loss

We have been largely programmed to believe that grains, especially whole grains are nothing but good for us. As with much accepted dogma, this is actually a half, or less than a half truth. There are certain grains that are healthful, such as quinoa, millet and buckwheat. There are a handful of others, unfortunately those most widely consumed in Western culture, (which statistically has the highest incidence of obesity and MPB) that are problematic for both health and hair, even in their “whole” forms. These are wheat, barley, rye, and oats (due to processing cross contamination from wheat).

The reason for this is the presence of Gluten, a composite of the proteins gliadin and glutenin, which causes a largely unknown adverse immune system response in many, manifesting as a plethora of symptoms from inflammation to allergies, chronic fatigue, depression etc.

So what does this have to do with hair loss, you ask???

The answer has to do with a disorder known as Poly Cystic Ovary Syndrome,(PCOS) a syndrome diagnosed in women, which has numerous associated endocrine abnormalities, and most notably hirsutism (body hair growth), Androgenetic hair loss and Insulin Resistance.

Research is now suggesting the existence of a widespread male equivalent of PCOS, that results from the interaction of several key genes and dietary/environmental factors.

Insulin resistance, one of the primary manifestations of PCOS, results in high Androgens in women and high estrogens and DHT in men.

Elevated estrogen in men increases DHT and contrary to urban legend, it has been established that men with MPB have lower testosterone than non-balding controls .

Treating insulin resistance in men normalizes the abnormally high DHT/T ratio and low T/estrogen ratio.

A review of the literature interestingly reveals that 87% of those with PCOS are sensitive or allergic to some degree, to wheat gluten. Eating wheat under these conditions wreaks havoc on insulin management, creating an ongoing elevation of serum glucose and insulin. Additionally, wheat consumption can increase free radicals and diminish the absorption of nutrients, predisposing to potential deficiecy states and health,(and yes, hair problems).

While it is unlikely that halting wheat consumption will cure baldness it could certainly aid in that process. We have received several anecdotal reports over the years from women (some NOT diagnosed with PCOS) who, on our advice, stopped wheat consumption, and within days, reported a dramatic decrease in shedding. Given the existence of a male genetic correlate to this disorder, it is likely that cutting out wheat could contribute significantly to the hair loss treatment process in both genders.

Low concentrations of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG) is also a very frequent finding in women and men with PCOS.

It has been conclusively shown that young men with MPB have significantly lower levels of SHBG compared to controls.

SHBG can be healthily and readily elevated with the use of Green Tea Extract, which is a superstar in dealing with insulin management issues. Using Green Tea with Soy or Black Tea extracts have also been shown to lower serum DHT more than Proscar/Propecia in animal models.


The Existence of a Male Equivalent of the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – the Present State of the Issue

Dušková M., Stárka L.
Institute of Endocrinology Prague, Czech Republic
Abstract: The polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in women belongs to the most frequent endocrinopathies. This syndrome is characteristic by a hormonal and metabolic imbalance. It seems to be a kind of an oligogenic disease resulting from the interaction among several key genes and environmental effects. Considering the genetic basis of this syndrome there is no reason why the syndrome could not occur in men as well, be it with a different symptomatic expression. Premature baldness before the age of thirty used to be suggested as a symptom of the male PCOS equivalent. Yet there still seems to be rather a meagre attention devoted to the endocrinological changes in men in the specialised literature, although there do exist genealogical studies on the occurrence of alopecia or glucose metabolic disorder in male members of the families where a considerable number of females were affected by PCOS.

Table 1 – Increased risk of various diseases in males with androgen alopecia
Disease odds ratio 95% reliability range reference
Benign prostate hyperplasia 3.23 1.81–5.79 Oh et al. 1998
Prostate gland carcinoma 1.50* 1.12–2.00 Hawk et al. 2000
Ischemic heart disease 1.36 1.11–1.67 Lotufo et al. 2000
Hyperinsulinemia 1.91 1.02–3.56 Matilainen et al. 2000
Obesity 2.90 1.76–4.79 Matilainen et al. 2000
Hypertension 2.09 1.14–3.82 Matilainen et al. 2000
Dyslipidemia 4.45* 1.74–11.34 Matilainen et al. 2000
*relative risk

Source: http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateWheatConsumption1-10.html

I find this stuff fascinating, I have heard of this before and it seems to make sense to me. I think until I can gauge my gluten sensitivity properly, I will cut it almost entirely from my diet

I think I should highlight this:


Insulin resistance, one of the primary manifestations of PCOS, results in high Androgens in women and high estrogens and DHT in men.

Elevated estrogen in men increases DHT and contrary to urban legend, it has been established that men with MPB have lower testosterone than non-balding controls .

Treating insulin resistance in men normalizes the abnormally high DHT/T ratio and low T/estrogen ratio.

"Elevated estrogen in men increases DHT and contrary to urban legend, it has been established that men with MPB have lower testosterone than non-balding controls "

That is false.
An intersting read, but quickly loses credibilty there.

Please dirrect me to a peer reviewed medical journal that has established this,

http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateEstrogenElucinated10-07.html

http://www.hairloss-research.org/estrogen.html

Just something to start with...

Men with MPB have less free testosterone, more DHT and estrogen, unlike popular beliefs. Among other things, we also have less endo antioxidant levels.

Again. Established by who? The owner of that website?

Whose body has more estrogen? My bet says the hairy guy with the bitch tits. He also is more than likely insulin resistant

Polluted wrote:Whose body has more estrogen? My bet says the hairy guy with the bitch tits. He also is more than likely insulin resistant

And more than likely completely genetically immune



I'm not sure what my opinion is on the latter points here... I think the key is ALWAYS just healthy hormonal balance. Insulin resistance is always bad, and too much or too little of pretty much any hormone in the body is also bad, as I understand!

What we need as far as hormones go I think, is simply balance ^_^

There are many things to consider in androgenetic alopecia, besides DHT. Genetics play a role.

You can't just consider a few isolated cases and draw conclusions, for instance the case of a hairy fat guy and a bald stud.

In general terms you can see fat "estrogenic" men with a full head of hair and balding men with a muscular body BUT the opposite case too. Considering scientific studies, it has been found that men with androgen mediated disorders tend to have more estrogens, more DHT and less free testosterone.

Goto this site, you will see references to studies and easy explanations on the hormone profile of balding men: http://www.hairloss-research.org/updates.html

For health and keeping you hair, you want to optimize your hormonal profile, and that means rising free T levels, reduce the bad estrogens (do they dont get converted to DHT) and other hormones. This has been a topic of discussion many times before in practically all forums out there about MPB.

BTW, in the picture, what's the advantage of having a head full of hair when you have no package? LOL

I can't seem to find the peer reviewed journals at mpb research that shows estrogen increases DHT. Not surprising that mpbr sells the remedy, but cannot provide a legitimate source for their claims.

Established by whom? Where's the cites...sources?

I always thought that for OLDER men, it was the case that E might be too high and T too low, triggering the body to make more DHT.

But in younger men I thought often it was down to low SHBG levels, causing T to lift too high, fly up into the scalp and get converted to DHT.

Man, I'd better get this one right before I start making the wrong decisions for my body.. heh

I don't believe I am actually showing any signs of low T or high E.. I've been putting on weight a tiny bit easier but I put that down to being slightly older and to probable hypothyroidism.

Hmm I wonder what CS has to say about this stuff

Polluted wrote:I can't seem to find the peer reviewed journals at mpb research that shows estrogen increases DHT. Not surprising that mpbr sells the remedy, but cannot provide a legitimate source for their claims.

Established by whom? Where's the cites...sources?

CS was definitely talking about it. And it explains perfectly why older men bald. Their T levels drop, their E levels rise, this causes the body to make more DHT and also I believe triggers the prostate to increase in size as triggered by the E.

This was my understanding anyway

The sensitivity to androgens becomes progressive with age. How much or how little test or estrogen might make no difference at all if you are destined for high norwood status.

I do think the sensitivity possibly can be dampend with diet/lifestyle hollistic approach. That is why I am here.

Err...*lower* serum androgens in balding men....

Am J Phys Anthropol. 1992 May;88(1):59-67.
Relations between sex hormone level and characters of hair and skin in healthy young men.

Knussmann R, Christiansen K, Kannmacher J.

Institut für Humanbiologie, University of Hamburg, Germany.

Total testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in blood serum as well as free testosterone in saliva were determined by radioimmunoassay in 110 healthy young men. The results were compared with the development of terminal hair on the trunk and limbs, with the disposition to balding and with the disposition to acne. No significant correlations were found between terminal hair development and absolute androgen levels; however, some significant values were observed in the case of the metabolic rate of dihydrotestosterone/testosterone and the proportion of free to total testosterone. The disposition to balding also correlates positively with the latter ratio. [b][b]Yet the absolute serum androgen concentrations in men with a disposition to balding is lower than in men with no reduction of scalp hair.[/b] [/b]The widespread assumption that androgen levels are in general elevated in bald-trait men must therefore be rejected. In accordance with this finding, men with a disposition to balding are morphologically (with regard to anthropometric measures) no more masculine than those with good scalp hair growth. When body build and age are taken into consideration, the relations between terminal hair and androgen ratio are also problematical. No relationship could be found between acne and androgens.

Skin Pharmacol. 1994;7(1-2):61-6.
Hormonal basis of male and female androgenic alopecia: clinical relevance.

Schmidt JB.

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

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.

Id rather be bald and look like Vin vs having nice hair and looking like the heavier man.

a good indicator that someone has a pretty good hormone profile of Estrogen and Free Testosterone is the morning / night time erection. The better and more frequent erections are the more likely it is you have a good supply of Hormones such as Testosterone, GH, Cortisol and have a good ratio of Estrogen.

A good diet and lignans (and maybe curcumin) should balance this one shouldnt they?

It's fascinating and I believe very important though, as the hormonal side of things is an important component in controlling hair loss so we need to know what our balance is like! It does seem that too much OR too little T can cause hair loss!

Hi.

I'm still not seeing compelling evidence that balding men have more estrogen and more importantly more estrogen= more DHT. Where are values of each group?

Near the bottom: The widespread assumption that androgen levels are in general elevated in bald-trait men must therefore be rejected. In accordance with this finding, men with a disposition to balding are morphologically (with regard to anthropometric measures) no more masculine than those with good scalp hair growth. This I agree!

But then ends with: When body build and age are taken into consideration, the relations between terminal hair and androgen ratio are also problematical. WTF? How can we draw any conclusions here?

Fom my limmited understanding more testosterone = more dht, not the other way around. Also it is the sensitivity to DHT that triggers balding, not the amount. For the record, I do not deny that insulin/gluten senstivity may exaserbate balding.

The most misunderstood thing about testosterone in MPB is assuming that all ages are the same.

As men age, their free testosterone goes down, their glucose metabolism worsens, their estrogen rises, so does their SHBG levels.

When insulin rises, it depresses hormone function and places the body into a state of hibernation, slowing down oxygen consumption, reducing combustion.

Younger men however, bald because their SHBG are too low, so having high testosterone can more readily convert to DHT. Note also that very young men, who are at adolescence or just above will have a transient insulin resistance, because of the body still growing up until age 25 or so, and the hormones are trying to "catch up" creating a hormone imbalance.

In women, who naturally have high estrogen, they can bald quite easily if their testosterone levels rise, such as PCOS condition.

Women and men have different responses to iodine with respect to hormone balance. When PCOS is reversed via high iodine consumption, their estrogen levels rise and their androgen levels fall. In men, the opposite can occur, their estrogen can drop and their testosterone levels will rise, this is a very good thing.

Testosterone in the male is not the enemy.

When thyroid hormone sensitivity is increased, we get a downregulation of TGF-beta, which will desensitize DHT.

Also, as shown in the study above, hypothyroidism causes an elevation of prolactin, which is a marker in MPB. Prolactin is a negative regulator of hair growth and does increase DHT.

Polluted wrote:Hi.

I'm still not seeing compelling evidence that balding men have more estrogen and more importantly more estrogen= more DHT. Where are values of each group?

Near the bottom: The widespread assumption that androgen levels are in general elevated in bald-trait men must therefore be rejected. In accordance with this finding, men with a disposition to balding are morphologically (with regard to anthropometric measures) no more masculine than those with good scalp hair growth. This I agree!

But then ends with: When body build and age are taken into consideration, the relations between terminal hair and androgen ratio are also problematical. WTF? How can we draw any conclusions here?

Fom my limmited understanding more testosterone = more dht, not the other way around. Also it is the sensitivity to DHT that triggers balding, not the amount. For the record, I do not deny that insulin/gluten senstivity may exaserbate balding.

As I understand it, when the body has high E and low T, it makes more DHT and/or more potent DHT to compensate. As I understand. This explains why older men bald so quick anyway doesn't it? It also explains why those with insulin resistance often bald, although I suppose you could say that's inflammatory foods, etc... hmm O.O

Yeah... CS said it much, much better than me! lol