IS paleo (aka caveman food) the best diet for hair loss?

Do you guys think the paleo is the best route to go regarding hair loss. Lots of fat, and fruits and veggies? Absolutely zero grains/ starches.

I don't think grains are going to do any good for any person on earth, despite all of our biodiversity. That said, I think there are more pertinent dietetic problems than eating grains now and again, and that is the level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the food supply. I also tend to think that artificial sweeteners are fucking poison, and who ever decided it was safe to inject them into the food supply should be in prison. Anyhow, so basically just avoid the majority of processed foods. If it comes in a plastic container, avoid it. This world is rife with BPA and pthalates, all of which are bioaccumulative and hormone disruptive. Eat good quality, grass-fed meat, healthy fats, loads of fruits and veggies, some nuts and seeds peppered in there, like macadamia nuts that are lower in pufa. There is an ongoing debate on the role of carbs in the diet. In my opinion they are absolutely essential and we shouldn't be restricting them to extremely low levels. Staying anabolic requires carbohydrate, without question. And we need to balance catabolic and anabolic states. So just be intelligent about your carb sources. Eat fast digesting cabrs when the muscles require it, just before and after exercise. Use vegetable carb sources with a little fruit for the rest of the day. There is also contention about starch. I don't think it is evil, but for someone whose main health issue rests in their gut, starch is going to really limit the extent to which you can reset your gut health.

complex carbohydrates are empirically preferable over simple for endurance and stamina related performance. grains let people with low incomes eat for cheap without starving. this is a big factor in their introduction and persistence. its low energy input compared to livestock for higher yields. feed more people for the same energy. it may be disconcerting but there are more factors than individual health in food availability and choice. diets higher in partially soluble starch and fiber show some benefits like lower incidence of metabolic syndrome. paleo diet is expensive. probably prohibitively so, for some. grass fed meat daily? lol, adds up fast.

LoT,

Great points. I have to believe grains played a huge role historically as means of feeding large armies. I understand how grains would play such a large role. Wheat requires relatively little upkeep compared to other types of crops, and the yield is very high. But that said, I don't think that makes it an optimal food choice whatsoever. There are certainly ethnicities and certain genetic lineages that have adapted to eating grains much more so than others. Take the Italians/Greeks/Mediterraneans vs. northwestern Europeans. Grains definitely have their place in a world supporting the population ours does, but as long as I'm blessed to have other food available, they wont be my first choice.

Also, great point concerning exercise. Your carb macros and food choices are all going to be very different depending on your type of exercise. I absolutely think starch would be superior for an endurance athlete. But I also believe endurance exercise is awful. If its your sport and your training with some type of purpose or competition in mind, so be it. But from a health standpoint, if health is what you're after, endurance exercise is not the best route. For short burst, intense, intervallic exercise like resistance training or sprint work (which I believe is the answer), simple carbohydrate is the way to go. Perhaps some starch pre-training, 2 hrs. or so before, but afterward, simple carbs are essential.

And for me personally, I think if one has gut issues, staying away from starch is almost a must until you get these problems under control. Carbs that are going to be used on the first pass are important because with starch, its inevitably going to make it further into the gi tract, and many people are dealing with bacterial overgrowths. If no gut problems are present, then I absolutely think starchy root vegetables are a great food. Good post LoT.

anthonyspencer54 wrote:
And for me personally, I think if one has gut issues, staying away from starch is almost a must until you get these problems under control. Carbs that are going to be used on the first pass are important because with starch, its inevitably going to make it further into the gi tract, and many people are dealing with bacterial overgrowths. If no gut problems are present, then I absolutely think starchy root vegetables are a great food. Good post LoT.

if you dnt eat starch, then what are you supposed to eat? fruit for carbs? i can't do the vegetable/meat thing because 1, it is torture, and 2, i am starving out of my mind on this diet.

Hey Sanderson,

I think its a very personal thing for everyone. To tell the truth, I shouldn't have made overgeneralized claims like starch is bad. Because for some it might be perfectly fine. Diet is a very individualized thing. I only know that for me and many others I've spoken with that starch was awful for our guts, but we all had gut issues to begin with. If you're dealing with something like SIBO, I would experiment with eliminating starch and see how you do. But again, this has been observational and some might do completely fine with starch.

And I know exactly what you mean about the paleo thing. I actually hate the phrase paleo, but anyhow, I did the meat and vegetable thing for a long time too and also found I was hungry on it. My problems that I've found were: A) Not enough protein, B) Not enough fat. I was eating a ton of vegetables and having a couple serving of animal protein daily. But it wasn't enough. I've found that adding in whey protein as small meals in between my larger ones has helped immensely. And its cheaper, as eating that much meat in a day can be expensive. Most importantly though, I wasn't taking in enough fats. Try melting coconut oil and drizzling it on the veggies, or adding a serving of macadamia nuts to each meal. The fat is the energy dense part and the body recognizes it, keeps you full longer. But if that kind of diet isn't for you, it isn't for you. Hell, I'm still experimenting. As of right now, I am feeling good about this diet and what's its doing for my weight loss. In the future I may find that it isn't right for me long term.

if you look at the indian subcontinent or chinese bhuddhists whose inhabitants for thousands of years have never ate meat... a lot of them roam around with absolutely no hair loss up until their late years in life. especially in south india where its extremely hot, they have thick ass hair down there at least until their 50s-60s. even the martial artists you see that they have full heads of hair and they might be 50 and look 30. there has only been a recent incidence of such common hair loss i speculate. just my two cents on it. theres gotta be certain nutrients/lifestyle that are required as opposed to a particular diet. maybe food is just so processed and nutrient-less our bodies aren't getting any benefit from the food of the 21st century. i don't know i just don't think it fundamentally has to do with carb/protein/fat ratio; it could have to do with certain foods causing inflammation or whatever of the gut or anywhere the blood takes it after being broken down.

But I also believe endurance exercise is awful.

Not sure. People who engage in regular long term daily showed increased telomerase compared to controls.

The latest study, an e-publication dated January 8 2010 from a University of Colarado group, is Leukocyte Telomere Length is Preserved with Aging in Endurance Exercise-Trained Adults and Related to Maximal Aerobic Capacity. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20064545?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=2

Why is it awful? Tho from an anecdotal standpoint, I'd rather look like a sprinter than a marathon runner. The sprinters seem to have well defined lean muscle mass whereas the marathoners just have an emaciated look. lol

For me cutting off the grains and starch is a great thing - my digestion is better and my mood notice it too. Minus of it is expensiveness... I think effectiveness of diet is very individual depended and task to do for everybody about how he feels about certain type of food. I know it sounds wrong but if i learned how to not eat sugar due unwanted sugar rush, think everybody can do it - cause i dont crave sugar any more... There is not ideal diet, imo.

Great topic!

LoT,

A moderate amount of exercise, whatever it be is always correlated with cardiovascular benefits, as well as many other health benefits. But prolonged endurance exercise is extremely catabolic. The oxidative stress of prolonged exercise has negative consequences for LDL, and can augment atherosclerosis.

From a study in the Journal of Sports Medicine (2006) by Knez, Coombes, and Jenkins:

"At least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity accumulated on most, preferably all days is considered the minimum level necessary to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Despite an unclear explanation, some epidemiological data paradoxically suggest that a very high volume of exercise is associated with a decrease in cardiovascular health. Although ultra-endurance exercise training has been shown to increase antioxidant defences (and therefore confer a protective effect against oxidative stress), an increase in oxidative stress may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis via oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (LDL). Research has also shown that ultra-endurance exercise is associated with acute cardiac dysfunction and injury, and these may also be related to an increase in free radical production."

An additional article out of the European Society of Cardiology connects right ventricle damage with prolonged exercise.
Link: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/238791.php

I don't believe the human body was designed for 2 hour bouts of running. Obviously running for 30 min - 1 hr is going to be fine and that is what most people are going to fall in the realm of anyway, but the benefits of the heavy endurance type of work aren't going to outweigh the negatives.

Another interesting read: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110405194101.htm

I know for me, the protein, good fat, veggie carbs has been working well designed around a cheat day 1x a week. Then yesterday I went to my morning gym session. On Saturday mornings I usually take a cycling class and a pilates/yoga kind of class back to back. Started off with the pilates/yoga class and I had no energy. My legs felt weak. Went into the cycling class and wasn't much better. I gutted through it, but my body was spent. When I came home I ended up sleeping for three hours. I was just a mess all day yesterday.

I made a decision to try putting sweet potatoes back into my diet this week and see what they do. I feel like my carbs, outside of veggies, are so low it's not effecting my normal energy, but it is affecting my energy when I need to draw on it during a workout. I'm not sure I'm giving myself enough fuel for the kind of workouts I do.

I've been off bread for so long now, I don't want to go back. Really don't miss it.

Still, it's about finding the right mix for your body. When I was doing the Jaminet's Perfect Health Diet, I felt the best I've felt in years, but I couldn't lose weight eating all the dairy and safe starches they advocated. Still, following their diet as prescribed I was hitting levels athletically that I haven't come close to touching. Just a shame I couldn't lose fat/inches on that eating plan.

As for strict Paleo, I see a lot of good things in it for people who are overweight with insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome. That being said, following that strictly for the rest of your life is kind of miserable. I get angry in the middle of the week eating only veggie carbs and what usually gets me through are the nuts (macadamia, almond butter) and the idea that on Saturday I can eat whatever I want.

Had,

Totally agree on trying to stick with that diet long-term. I think for helping rebuild health after pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, etc. it is incredible. But I can't do low carb that long. I also don't find problems in the day to day activities, but I have found I absolutely need a carb meal about 2 hrs. prior to a workout. Interestingly, I've also found that a scoop of whey in water about 20 minutes before a workout gives you a dramatic increase in energy. Whey is insulinemic so perhaps it is spiking blood sugar in lieu of carbs. Gluconeogenesis baby. But the effect is fast and dramatic, I can feel it after only a few sets.

dudebro - I thought most Buddhist shaved their heads or is this a special group living in the Indian subcontinent.

anthonyspencer54 wrote:Had,

Totally agree on trying to stick with that diet long-term. I think for helping rebuild health after pre-diabetes, insulin resistance, leptin resistance, etc. it is incredible. But I can't do low carb that long. I also don't find problems in the day to day activities, but I have found I absolutely need a carb meal about 2 hrs. prior to a workout. Interestingly, I've also found that a scoop of whey in water about 20 minutes before a workout gives you a dramatic increase in energy. Whey is insulinemic so perhaps it is spiking blood sugar in lieu of carbs. Gluconeogenesis baby. But the effect is fast and dramatic, I can feel it after only a few sets.

anthony - I think that's the last step of my nutrition I need to master; designing the right meals built around my workouts. When I go to the gym, it's always kind of spur of the moment based on my daily schedule that I never actually design meals for pre and post workout. That probably is my missing link since I've never adhered to it.

Gonna drop some sweet potatoes in this week and see what it does. I'll eat 1/2 of one with lunch and 1/2 with dinner each day. Like I said, my daily energy is great but I've been noticing my energy needed for HIIT and for that Body By Science resistance workout is lacking the past couple of weeks. I think I've hit that point with Paleo-ish eating where I don't have gas in the tank to floor the engine - just have enough to keep cruising the speed limit. If I can't hit my anaerobic threshold in HIIT during one of the sprints, it's a problem based on all the research of how those workouts reward your health and fitness.

I would say to anyone reading this, if you're really overweight and in poor health, I would give Paleo a shot to get your eating straightened out. Dropping processed foods and sugar takes time and patience, but it will help your overall health in the long run. Reading books like 4 Hour Body, Perfect Health Diet and Primal Blueprint will give you a great foundation to finding a diet that works for you without punishing you.

Like I said, if my cheat day is Saturday by Wednesday I'm angry and not myself because of the strict eating of Paleo style. I wasn't conscious of it until my wife told me, "oh, you're grumpy, must be Wednesday". That's the day where the strict eating usually changes my mood until my cheat day hits to reset leptin and my overall mood. Food really is such a drug.

Had,

Absolutely agree with everything you said. I think the key with carbohydrate is training your body to use carbs more efficiently. Doing that requires using exercise to create the proper deficit followed by the proper refueling. The problem most people have is they are continuing to fuel their bodies with carbohydrate without every depleting their glycogen stores. And then we blame insulin, when insulin is doing exactly what its supposed to do. If the muscle and the liver don't require it, its going to be stored somewhere. I think using a timed carb meal about an hour to thirty mintues before a workout provides the fuel to perform the workout, glycogen is depleted after the workout assuming your intensity is high enough (I've seen a few studies showing that after 9 sets of 10 reps, muscle biopsy revealed glycogen depletion), then you strategically refuel with carbohydrate recovery meals to restore glycogen. This process of refueling is incredibly anabolic and provides that muscle building stimulus. More muscle, higher basal metabolism, more efficient use of calories. We've got to get strategic about our carb intake and structure it around our workouts. I think its less about low carb, and more about timed carb, and recognizing when the body doesn't need that kind of fuel.