hair loss insulin shbg testosterone

guys,

this is an interesting 3 page write up. a guys opinion on insulin resistance, shbg, testosterone.

http://healthmad.com/nutrition/hair-loss-and-insulin-resistance/

Describing my theory on what causes male pattern baldness.

I believe that the testosterone/DHT theory is true. However, it is only part of the picture. I believe that high levels of insulin, and even worse insulin resistance are the core cause of this conversion locally in the scalp.

High levels of insulin significantly lower if not totally cut off two other hormones. Glucagon and Sex Hormone Binding Globulin. Glucagon is basically insulin’s adversary, also produced in the same part of the pancreas. Glucagon removes artherosclerotic plaques, lowers triglycerides and improves overall blood flow.

SHBG is the more important thing relating to hair loss though. Without it, testosterone is “free”, free to be converted into DHT or be used by the body for its other important uses. When SHBG is not in the blood stream in the quantities the body normally would require, I am of the opinion that allot of this excess free testosterone is then converted in the scalp to DHT. It has been shown that BOTH free T and DHT adversely affect hair follicles. More SHBG means much less free T.
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People will come back at me with the fact that 1. many balding people are not actually insulin resistant. and 2. some insulin resistant people are not balding.

My responses would be 1. Some people are obviously less tolerant of high insulin levels than others and 2. this is where the genetic factor of baldness comes in. The androgens.

The people who are insulin resistant but are not balding lack the Alpha reductase and androgens to convert t to DHT locally. If you have elevated insulin levels, and DO have the capacity to convert T to DHT locally, you will bald.

This, I believe, is the connection between insulin resistance syndrome and male pattern baldness. Remember with insulin resistance you have astronomically high amounts of insulin in your system because you are eating a very high carbohydrate diet which would shoot your insulin levels up too high anyway, and your cells are to whatever degree resistant to its effects, so the pancreas has to produce more and more and more for the cells to utilize the blood glucose for energy.

Don’t believe what ANYONE tells you about low-carb/zero-carb.

Here’s the list of “degenerative diseases” I have cured eating only meat, (yes, NO veggies at all):

* Anxiety disorder
* Depression
* Insulin resistance/type II first stage
* Reactive hypoglycemia/type II first stage
* Overweight
* Fatigue
* Social anxiety
* Memory loss
* Overall appearance of aging
* Circulatory problems.

I should mention that since going to eating only meat, and zero vegetation or grains, my blood flow is that of a brand new baby. I’m not kidding. For the last few years since developing my blood sugar problems and hair loss when I would lift my arms for even a few seconds they would begin losing feeling FAST.


I never remember that from when I was younger, and when I would sit on the toilet my legs would lose feeling within 1-2 minutes (not completely, but they would begin to fall asleep). Now? After a month of this way of eating I can lift my arms over my head to do over 10 min. of Tom’s advanced SE and I still have perfect blood flow to both of them. When I’m on the toilet I can sit there for what seems like forever and my legs don’t fall asleep at ALL.

Another thing that happens is, When you become diabetic, as I was at the first stage of diabetes, your nerves in your hands and feet will begin to die off. Mostly because of very restricted blood flow to these areas. The skin right at my toe nails on three of my toes, including the big toe, on my right foot had become black and dead. It was gross to look at and I didn’t make the correlation until I read up on diabetes complications.


Read more: http://healthmad.com/nutrition/hair-loss-and-insulin-resistance/#ixzz14DKbKDuQ

Protein is a much stronger stimulator of free-IGF-1 and SHBG inhibitor than insulin itself [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]! Protein stimulates free-IGF-1, which is the most potent SHBG inhibitor in the body. Milk-protein is especially powerful in stimulating free-IGF-1 and lowering SHBG [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]. Insulin only lowers SHBG if it becomes resistant. Insulin alone won't cause SHBG-downregulation, but when fats and oils are present, insulin becomes resistant [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36].




[1] Diet and Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin.
[2] Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men.
[3] Effects of replacing meat with soyabean in the diet on sex hormone concentrations in healthy adult males.
[4] The effects of low-protein diet and testosterone on sex hormone-binding globulin capacity in male rabbits.
[5] Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk.
[6] Effects of dietary protein content on IGF-I, testosterone, and body composition during 8 days of severe energy deficit and arduous physical activity.
[7] The effects of dietary protein on serum IGF-1 levels in adult humans.
[8] Dietary correlates of plasma insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations.
[9] 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.
[10] The influence of dietary intake on the insulin–like growth factor (IGF) system across three ethnic groups: a population–based study.
[11] The associations of diet with serum insulin–like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat–eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.
[12] Relationship of Dietary Protein and Soy Isoflavones to Serum IGF-1 and IGF Binding Proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial.
[13] Long-term effects of calorie or protein restriction on serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentration in humans.
[14] Milk consumption and the prepubertal somatotropic axis.
[15] Milk intake, circulating levels of insulin-like growth factor-I, and risk of colorectal cancer in men.
[16] High intakes of skimmed milk, but not meat, increase serum IGF-I and IGFBP-3 in eight-year-old boys.
[17] Milk consumption: aggravating factor of acne and promoter of chronic diseases of Western societies.
[18] Nutritional predictors of insulin-like growth factor I and their relationships to cancer in man.
[19] Diet and obesity.
[20] High-fat diet, muscular lipotoxicity and insulin resistance.
[21] Low-saturated fat dietary counseling starting in infancy improves insulin sensitivity in 9-year-old healthy children.
[22] Substituting dietary saturated for monounsaturated fat impairs insulin sensitivity in healthy men and women.
[23] Dietary fat, insulin sensitivity and the metabolic syndrome.
[24] Vegetarian and vegan diets in type 2 diabetes management.
[25] The role of carbohydrates in insulin resistance.
[26] Effects of lifestyle modification on metabolic parameters and carotid intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
[27] Diets do not fail: the success of medical nutrition therapy in patients with diabetes.
[28] Beneficial effects of a high carbohydrate, high fiber diet on hyperglycemic diabetic men.
[29] Toward improved management of NIDDM: A randomized, controlled, pilot intervention using a lowfat, vegetarian diet.
[30] A prospective study of sugar intake and risk of type 2 diabetes in women.
[31] Increased incidence of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus among Japanese schoolchildren correlates with an increased intake of animal protein and fat.
[32] Diabetes in the Americas.
[33] Carbohydrates, fat, and insulin action.
[34] Improved glucose tolerance with high carbohydrate feeding in mild diabetes.
[35] A low-fat vegan diet improves glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factors in a randomized clinical trial in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
[36] Dietary fat and insulin sensitivity in a triethnic population: the role of obesity.

misterE, thanks and what do you think of my blood work from last year:

I took this blood examination in Taiwan. So its in metric measurement. i apologize, not sure how to convert it. i was all over the web looking for a calculator and couldnt find one.

Pituitary Gonadotropin
ACTH 36.1 pg/ml (normal range 10 - 40) HIGH SIDE

Adrenocortex Stress
Cortisol 16.6 ug/dl (norm. range 7.32 - 17.1) HIGH SIDE

free Cortisol 10.9 nmo/L (norm. range 4.4 - 19.1)

DHEA 1.16 nmo/L (norm range 0.75 to 2.5) LOW

DHEA-S 1174 pg/ml (norm range 1303 - 3557) LOW

DHEA/Free Cortisol 0.1064 (norm. range 0.07 - 0.58)

secretory immunoglobulin A 318 ug/ml (norm range 31.8 - 265) HIGH

Pituitary Gonadotropin:
LH 9.10 mIU/ml (range 0.5 - 5.0) VERY HIGH
FSH 10.1 mIU/ml (range 0.5 - 5.0) VERY HIGH

Testis Hormones:
DHEA-S 1174 pg/ml (norm range 1303 - 3557) LOW

Testosterone 11.2 ng/ml (norm range 2.8 - 8. VERY HIGH

Free Testosterone 18.6 pg/ml (norm range 14 - 320) LOW SIDE

DHT 1123 pg/ml (norm range 300 - 990) VERY HIGH

SHBG 78.3 nmo/L (norm range 15 - 45) VERY HIGH

Estrodial E1 31.2 pg/ml (norm range 10 - 30) HIGH

Estrodial E2 16.6 pg/ml (norm range 12 - 24) low-middle range

I appreciate any feedback. The doctor in Taiwan recommended 15mg of DHEA. She says my Pituitary is being overworked because of low DHEA-S. She suspects my testosterone is off the charts because I work-out hard. I only do 25-30 min of INTENSE workout 4-5 times a week. Free Testosterone is in low-normal range. Cortisol seems to be on the high side, SHBG is OFF THE CHARTS high. DHT is on the high side. E1 Estrodial is on the HIGH SIDE.

In the past year I did notice my the edge of my eyebrows thinning a bit and my hair thinning a bit. Could this be hypothyroid?

In summary, I believe I need to:

lower cortisol (adrenocortex stress)
lower my E1
lower DHT
lower SHBG
increase DHEA-S

-RobHealthMan

What is your diet like (list everything you eat and everything you avoid)? How often do you exercise? How often are you in the sunshine?

RobHealthMan - You have adrenal fatigue. Hypoadrenalism. Like your lab work says, you're low DHEA, and low cortisol, which means either supplemental DHEA or to gradually allow your own system to produce more DHEA by way of glandular pituitary, adrenal cortical extract and thyroid.

What misterE suggests is only appropriate for 20% of the population. Protein is not evil. IGF-1 is not evil, it has to do with balance.

In fact, I will go on to say that misterE's diet can actually contribute to hypoadrenalism. How do find out?

Check your blood pressure upon sitting or laying down, then take it immediately upon standing up. If you have Ragland's sign, where there is an abnormal drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) when rising you would want to see a rise of 8-10 mm, however instead it remains the same or drops instead.

That is an indication of low adrenal output and would be a sign of low DHEA can be caused from a low-fat, high carb diet when it is not appropriate.

I take Ashwaghanda(Sensoril) daily for my adrenal fatigue. I can definitely feel the difference now. I also add Drenamin from Standard Process if running low. You might want to start with Sensoril and then add Drenamin as Sensoril deals with any excess Cortisol and alleviates possible tension/anxiety.

In fact I have had some pretty rough adrenal bouts in the past which included hyper low blood pressure, breathing problems, fainting symptoms, and such. I have confirmed this especially when experimenting with some herb that heavily inhibits DHT, my adrenal glands(especially the left) craps out Propecia pretty much wrecked my endocrine system. I use at least a half dropper a day of Lugols iodine for Thyroid and feel a definite difference with this too.

Lot of good information from CS here.

Testosterone may function as a dht antagonist as a man ages, having positive implications for hair growth and health. The prevailing myth for years has been that a high testosterone level is somehow bad for hair, due largely to its assumed propensity to increase DHT.”An associated myth is that balding men are somehow more virile, with the perverse paradox being that hair loss likely reduces the chance of having “virile” encounters.

CausticSymmetry wrote:RobHealthMan - You have adrenal fatigue. Hypoadrenalism. Like your lab work says, you're low DHEA, and low cortisol, which means either supplemental DHEA or to gradually allow your own system to produce more DHEA by way of glandular pituitary, adrenal cortical extract and thyroid.

What misterE suggests is only appropriate for 20% of the population. Protein is not evil. IGF-1 is not evil, it has to do with balance.

In fact, I will go on to say that misterE's diet can actually contribute to hypoadrenalism. How do find out?

Check your blood pressure upon sitting or laying down, then take it immediately upon standing up. If you have Ragland's sign, where there is an abnormal drop in systolic blood pressure (the top number) when rising you would want to see a rise of 8-10 mm, however instead it remains the same or drops instead.

That is an indication of low adrenal output and would be a sign of low DHEA can be caused from a low-fat, high carb diet when it is not appropriate.

this is a super late reply since i been out of the loop for a while. CS, thanks for this. What can i do about adrenal fatigue and hypoadrenalism?

i actually have a high protein low carb diet.

thanks again!

misterE wrote:-RobHealthMan

What is your diet like (list everything you eat and everything you avoid)? How often do you exercise? How often are you in the sunshine?

misterE,
sorry for the late reply here.....i was out of the loop for a little bit...im going to do a good detailed write soon. basically, high protein, green leafy veggies, salads, very plain diet. some rice here and there and some bread/pizza/cheating here and there as well..but i would sayd 75-80% on diet...

thanks!

To fix your problem you should stop eating a low carb diet.
Low/zero carb diets stress a lot your adrenals and your body.

I tell you this from personal experience.

Has this diet helped you? Also is it possible to maybe supplement like.025 mg of finasteride while doing this diet? or should I just reduce carbs to 10% of my overall diet as it is?

Kratos wrote:To fix your problem you should stop eating a low carb diet.
Low/zero carb diets stress a lot your adrenals and your body.

I tell you this from personal experience.

really? low carbs stress adrenals? explain more please. thanks!

cs? is this true?

RobHealthMan wrote:

Kratos wrote:To fix your problem you should stop eating a low carb diet.
Low/zero carb diets stress a lot your adrenals and your body.

I tell you this from personal experience.

really? low carbs stress adrenals? explain more please. thanks!

cs? is this true?

Carbs are vey important, our body needs a certain amount of them.
They can be obtained from foods or they can be manifactured from proteins thanks to the adrenal hormones (cortisol etc).
If tou don't eat them for a lot of time your glands can get stressed, and if they fails to produce adeguate glucose your metabolism will slow down to survive.

So your cortisol is high because your body is manifacturing the glucose he nees.

When I was low carb I was urinating a lot, sign of low aldosterone.

Deshaun wrote:The prevailing myth for years has been that a high testosterone level is somehow bad for hair, due largely to its assumed propensity to increase DHT.

I also read this somewhere in another medical forum, can you please explain in detail how high testosterone level effects hair loss?