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Pathogenesis Of Male Pattern Baldness & The Solutions.

baldness igf-1 shbg hyperkeratinization

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#1 misterE

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Posted 01 March 2012 - 12:58 AM


The pathogenesis of male-pattern-baldness (MPB) is the same as acne. The first step in acne is a condition called follicular-hyperkeratinization or hyperkeratosis. Simply put, this means excess skin production inside and around the hair-follicle. The next step is caused by excess sebum production, followed by P.Acnes infestation of the pilosebaceous-follicle, with subsequent inflammation. So to summarize, MPB, just like acne, is caused by four main factors: (1) follicular-hyperkeratinization, (2) excess sebum production, (3) P.Acnes, and (4) inflammation [1].

Free-IGF-1 (insulin-like-growth-factor-1) stimulates the proliferation of keratinocytes (skin cells below the scalp). As the keratinocytes mature, they migrate to the top of the scalp and become what is known as corneocytes. If all goes well, the corneocytes are supposed to be shed off the scalp in a process called apoptosis. The shedding of corneocytes or the apoptosis of corneocytes, is under the influence of IGFBP-3 (insulin-like-growth-factor-binding-protein-3) and endogenous retinoids. In men with male-pattern-baldness, they have excess free-IGF-1 and not enough IGFBP-3 [2]. The result of this is hyperkeratinization; too much skin production, and not enough skin exfoliation. This causes the hair-follicle to be blocked by excess skin. Free-IGF-1 is required for keratinocyte proliferation in humans [3] and too much IGF-1 results in hyperkeratosis [4].

Free-testosterone stimulates sebum production by converting into DHT (dihydrotestosterone) within the sebaceous-glands. Both insulin and free-IGF-1 can not only stimulate the synthesis of androgens from testicular-tissue [5] [6], but high levels of both insulin and free-IGF-1 also inhibit the livers production of SHBG (sex-hormone-binding globulin) [7] [8]. SHBG is shown to be lower in men and woman with androgenic-alopecia (MPB) [9-13]. As SHBG goes up, free-testosterone goes down. As free-testosterone goes down, less is available to be converted into DHT. With less DHT comes less sebaceous-activity.

So far I have shown that a lack of IGFBP-3 (and excess free-IGF-1) causes hyperkeratinization of hair-follicles. And that low levels of SHBG promote excess sebum production. Next, after combining these two scenarios, we get P.Acnes infiltration. You see, the excess skin is now blocking not only the hair-follicle from sprouting out of the scalp, but now, also the flow or excretion of sebum. As a consequence, the sebum builds-up within the pilosebaceous-follicle. With this anaerobic-environment caused by the hyperkeratosis and with all this trapped excess sebum, the situation becomes the perfect breeding ground for a bacterium named P.Acnes, which feeds off the trapped sebum. The body is smart and the immune-system detects these nasty critters and attacks them with inflammation [14]. This explains why Nizoral-shampoo seems to be effective in controlling the symptoms of MPB [15]. The active ingredient in Nizoral-shampoo is ketoconazole, which has been shown to kill P.Acnes [16].

The solution to this cascade of events, would be to obviously lower your free-IGF-1 activity. Lowering free-IGF-1 would, (1) decrease the IGF-1:IGFBP-3 ratio, and (2) increase SHBG, thus preventing hyperkeratinization of the hair-follicles and excess sebum production. Preventing hyperkeratosis and sebum production would prevent P.acnes infestation and the subsequent inflammation that follows.

So how does one lower free-IGF-1 levels? Studies are consistent in showing that a vegan-diet causes both a decrease in IGF-1 and an increase in SHBG [17-31]. Many of these studies indicate that vegans have higher SHBG and lower IGF-1 despite the fact they are consuming high-fat diets, like eating lots of nuts or avocados. I personally believe that an extremely-low-fat vegan diet is optimal, due to the fact that dietary-fat causes insulin-resistance. Insulin-resistance causes high-insulin and IGF-1 in the blood. I also believe that fructose should be limited as much as possible. Fructose readily converts into fat in the liver, in a process called de-novo-lipogenesis and once again, fat paralyzes insulin-action, thus keeping it in the blood for extended periods of time, instead of driving glucose into the cells. Animal-protein, especially protein from dairy-products, rich in methionine, casein, and essential amino-acids seems to be the best stimulator of IGF-1. This explains why vegan-diets, low in "high-quality" protein increase SHBG and decrease IGF-1 regardless of fat content. With that stated I personally believe with all of my heart, that you would get the best results with a diet consisting only of beans, whole-grains and vegetables. Nuts and fruit (fat and sugar) should be eaten rarely.

Avoiding dairy-products is of huge importance! Nothing increases free-IGF-1 more than dairy-products; this has been consistently shown over and over again in the scientific-literature. And this should come as no surprise, considering the purpose of milk is to stimulate rapid-growth, development and maturity of the newborn. Dairy-products also contain DHT precursors [32] [33] and potent estrogens [34-36].

After over 30 years of nutritional dogma barking over and over again that "diet has nothing to do with acne". Recent research has proven beyond a doubt, that diet does affect acne and that dairy-products and high-fat, sugar-laden processed-food are the largest culprits [37-45]. And since the pathology of MPB and acne are identical, any type of diet that promotes acne has the potential to promote MPB in genetically-predisposed people.

Eating a low-fat, low-fructose, high-fiber vegan-diet high in complex-carbohydrates should stop the progression of MPB hormonally. However this is unlikely to get rid of all the follicular-hyperkeratinization that has already occurred over time. To reverse hyperkeratosis, exfoliate the scalp and regrow "lost" hair, I highly suggest using skin peels topically. Alpha-hydroxy-acids are shown to diminish corneocyte cohesion, induce exfoliation and reverse hyperkeratosis [46]. This should promote regrowth.

So to rehash or recap everything said here: a high level of free-IGF-1 (caused by eating a high-fat, high-protein, rich western-diet) causes follicular-hyperkeratinization and down-regulation of SHBG. Low SHBG correlates with the metabolic-syndrome [47-51] and promotes excess sebum production. Excess sebum is trapped, along with the hair-follicle, beneath the excess skin (produced by over-expression of IGF-1), this gives rise to P.Acnes; a bacterium that feeds off sebum and generates inflammation from the immune-system. Eating a diet consisting of beans, whole-grains and vegetables will drastically decrease IGF-1 and increase SHBG, preventing any further progression of MPB. Glycolic-acid used topically will reverse the hyperkeratosis already present and promote regrowth.

I would also like to close by saying that the effects of the complex-carbohydrate-vegan-diet can be magnified by practicing intermediate-fasting, exercise, getting plenty of sunshine exposure on the body and drinking nothing but water and organic-green-tea.




[1] Implications for the role of diet in acne.

[2] Vertex balding, plasma insulin-like growth factor 1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3.

[3] The role of IGF-I in human skin and its appendages: morphogen as well as mitogen?

[4] Overexpression of insulin-like growth factor-1 induces hyperplasia, dermal abnormalities, and spontaneous tumor formation in transgenic mice.

[5] Short-term exposure to insulin-like growth factors stimulates testosterone production by testicular interstitial cells.

[6] Regulation of testicular function by insulin and transforming growth factor-beta.

[7] Effect of insulin-like growth factor-type 1 (IGF-1) and insulin on the secretion of sex hormone binding globulin and IGF-1-binding protein (IBP-1) by human hepatoma cells.

[8] Differential effects of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 on the production of plasma steroid-binding globulins by human hepatoblastoma-derived (Hep G2) cells.

[9] Hormonal profile of men with premature balding.

[10] Hormonal profile in men with premature androgenic alopecia.

[11] Serum testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin levels in women with androgenetic alopecia.

[12] Sex hormone-binding globulin and saliva testosterone levels in men with androgenetic alopecia.

[13] Low sex-hormone binding globulin levels in young women with diffuse hair loss.

[14] Induction of proinflammatory cytokines by a soluble factor of Propionibacterium acnes: implications for chronic inflammatory acne.

[15] Ketoconazole shampoo: effect of long-term use in androgenic alopecia.

[16] In vitro activities of azole antifungal agents against Propionibacterium acnes isolated from patients with acne vulgaris.

[17] Diet and Sex Hormone-Binding Globulin.

[18] Effects of replacing meat with soyabean in the diet on sex hormone concentrations in healthy adult males.

[19] The effects of low-protein diet and testosterone on sex hormone-binding globulin capacity in male rabbits.

[20] Long-term low-protein, low-calorie diet and endurance exercise modulate metabolic factors associated with cancer risk.

[21] Effects of dietary protein content on IGF-I, testosterone, and body composition during 8 days of severe energy deficit and arduous physical activity.

[22] The effects of dietary protein on serum IGF-1 levels in adult humans.

[23] Dietary correlates of plasma insulin-like growth factor I and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 concentrations.

[24] 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.

[25] The influence of dietary intake on the insulin - like growth factor (IGF) system across three ethnic groups: a population - based study.

[26] The associations of diet with serum insulin - like growth factor I and its main binding proteins in 292 women meat - eaters, vegetarians, and vegans.

[27] Relationship of Dietary Protein and Soy Isoflavones to Serum IGF-1 and IGF Binding Proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial.

[28] Long-term effects of calorie or protein restriction on serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 concentration in humans.

[29] The low-methionine content of vegan diets may make methionine restriction feasible as a life extension strategy.

[30] A low-fat, whole-food vegan diet, as well as other strategies that down-regulate IGF-I activity, may slow the human aging process.

[31] Hormones and diet: low insulin-like growth factor-I but normal bioavailable androgens in vegan men.

[32] Acne, dairy and cancer: The 5alpha-P link.

[33] A survey of the steroids in cows' milk.

[34] Estrone and 17beta-estradiol concentrations in pasteurized-homogenized milk and commercial dairy products.

[35] Concentrations of 17beta-estradiol in Holstein whole milk.

[36] Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows.

[37] Acne vulgaris: a disease of Western civilization.

[38] Does diet really affect acne?

[39] The association of acne vulgaris with diet.

[40] High school dietary dairy intake and teenage acne.

[41] Evidence for acne-promoting effects of milk and other insulinotropic dairy products.

[42] Role of insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1, hyperglycaemic food and milk consumption in the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris.

[43] Permanent impairment of insulin resistance from pregnancy to adulthood: the primary basic risk factor of chronic Western diseases.

[44] Milk--the promoter of chronic Western diseases.

[45] Nutrition and acne.

[46] Hyperkeratinization, corneocyte cohesion, and alpha hydroxy acids.

[47] Relationships of circulating sex-hormone-binding globulin with metabolic traits in humans.

[48] Testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin predict the metabolic syndrome and diabetes in middle-aged men.

[49] Lower sex hormone-binding globulin is more strongly associated with metabolic syndrome than lower total testosterone in older men: the health in men study.

[50] The triad of erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism and the metabolic syndrome.

[51] Association of testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance in men.
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#2 mustardseed41

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Posted 02 March 2012 - 12:52 AM

skin peel for the scalp...now that's one I've never heard of

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#3 Lufega

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Posted 02 March 2012 - 01:40 AM

Becoming a Vegan cannot be the only way to achieve this. If that was the case, all meat eaters would be bald, and no vegans would lose their hair. Either scenario doesn't exist. There is another underlying factor that's not being accounted for.
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#4 nowayout

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 01:00 PM

I find the theory unlikely, since it doesn't account for why the same hormonal milieu should cause many balding men have very dense and thick facial and body hair. In other words, given that it presumably promotes hair growth elsewhere on the body, why doesn't it promote the growth of scalp hair?

#5 platypus

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 01:48 PM

I personally believe that an extremely-low-fat vegan diet is optimal

That position is extremely difficult to defend from an evolutionary/anthropological standpoint. We never evolved on such a diet, so it has to be considered abnormal. Hunter-gatherers ate plenty of meats and organ meats, this we know.
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#6 Brett Black

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 02:58 PM

I personally believe that an extremely-low-fat vegan diet is optimal

That position is extremely difficult to defend from an evolutionary/anthropological standpoint. We never evolved on such a diet, so it has to be considered abnormal. Hunter-gatherers ate plenty of meats and organ meats, this we know.


The diets under which humans may have evolved are not necessarily preferable let alone optimal.
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#7 platypus

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 03:09 PM

The diets under which humans may have evolved are not necessarily preferable let alone optimal.

So do you think that several hundred thousand years of evolution didn't make our species adapt to a hunter-gatherer diet?
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#8 Brett Black

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 03:32 PM

The diets under which humans may have evolved are not necessarily preferable let alone optimal.

So do you think that several hundred thousand years of evolution didn't make our species adapt to a hunter-gatherer diet?


Evolutionary adaptions fundamentally just increase the likelihood of successful reproduction(and only then within the evolutionary environment.) That's a very poor basis upon which to choose a diet (at least with regard to my personal values, which are not to live like a caveman and reproduce as much as possible.)
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#9 nowayout

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 03:45 PM

The diets under which humans may have evolved are not necessarily preferable let alone optimal.

So do you think that several hundred thousand years of evolution didn't make our species adapt to a hunter-gatherer diet?


Of course, if shooting out lots of babies and dying before 45 is your thing, because that is just fine as far as evolutionary fitness is concerned.
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#10 Turnbuckle

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 03:54 PM

Since MPB may be the result of mitochondrial damage, treatments that improve mito performance like C60 have potential--at least for me and one other user here. After 4 months of fullerene use, my bald spot has filled in with a coverage of about half the rest of my hair. The ability of fullerenes to potentiate hair growth was first discovered in 2009--

...In SKH-1 hairless mice fullerene derivatives given topically or subdermally markedly increased hair growth. This was paralleled by a significant increase in the number of hair follicles in fullerene-treated mice as compared with those mice treated with vehicle only. The fullerenes also increased hair growth in human skin sections maintained in culture. These studies have wide-ranging implications for those conditions leading to hair loss, including alopecia, chemotherapy, and reactions to various chemicals.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/19223242


Note that estrogen decreases mitochondrial stress, and thus MPB is a male problem.

#11 misterE

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 04:02 PM

Note that estrogen decreases mitochondrial stress, and thus MPB is a male problem.





New research shows that estrogen inhibits the hair from entering anagen phase, and keeps the hair "stuck" in telogen [1].


[1] PLoS One. 2012;7(7):e40124. Estrogen leads to reversible hair cycle retardation through inducing premature catagen and maintaining telogen. Hu HM, Zhang SB, Lei XH.

#12 Brett Black

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 04:13 PM

Castration prevents male pattern baldness. Hence those with hair....
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#13 zorba990

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Posted 21 September 2012 - 09:07 PM

The hair growth cycle is complicated.
Any claims related to hair loss/regrowth/etc need to show proof with before and after pictures or its just conjecture.
Check out the multitude of hair-loss forums and the things that have been tried.
Example of before/after pictures bottom of this guy's page:
http://www.hairlossf...m-Steroids.html

#14 xztop123

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Posted 07 October 2012 - 08:21 PM

I personally believe that an extremely-low-fat vegan diet is optimal

That position is extremely difficult to defend from an evolutionary/anthropological standpoint. We never evolved on such a diet, so it has to be considered abnormal. Hunter-gatherers ate plenty of meats and organ meats, this we know.





Also, Mat Lalonde recommends potatos
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#15 platypus

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Posted 07 October 2012 - 10:35 PM

Human are not carnivores but omnivores, and we are also excellent top predators.
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#16 xztop123

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Posted 08 October 2012 - 12:52 AM

Human are not carnivores but omnivores, and we are also excellent top predators.


The discussion is over where the bulk of our macronutrients should come from.

And being that this is a hair and skin forum, we have been in the sun since the beginning of time, but there are still variations among groups of humans in their ability to process vitamin D as well as sustain ultraviolet radiation. In other words, the "we're ALL adapted to this because it's been happening for a long time." is not a good general argument.

#17 niner

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Posted 08 October 2012 - 02:32 AM

The discussion is over where the bulk of our macronutrients should come from.

And being that this is a hair and skin forum, we have been in the sun since the beginning of time, but there are still variations among groups of humans in their ability to process vitamin D as well as sustain ultraviolet radiation. In other words, the "we're ALL adapted to this because it's been happening for a long time." is not a good general argument.


OK, that's a reasonable argument. Humans who left the equatorial regions and moved toward the poles either lost their melanin, got vitamin D from outside sources, or died out, over the course of many generations. That explains the vitamin D - UV - pigment relationship, but where's the macronutrient example? Are there populations that have evolved to react poorly to even small amounts of meat?

Edited by niner, 08 October 2012 - 02:32 AM.


#18 xztop123

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Posted 09 October 2012 - 03:05 AM

I'm not addressing the eat meat or don't eat meat issue, I was simply addressing the idea that because a food wasn't available to our ancestors, doesn't mean that it is inferior.

Also, I think Sally Fallon and the other bloggers on WAPF do a somewhat poor job of representing Price's actual recommendations. (fallons presentations are better) But that is that you should eat according to your own ancestral health, so like the area post-paleo to now. If your ancestry wasn't gorging on pastured raw butter and bone broths, then Price would probably say that it is not ideal for you. There is some evidence to support this, although it is in direct contrast to my opening point haha.

#19 niner

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Posted 09 October 2012 - 12:12 PM

I'm not addressing the eat meat or don't eat meat issue, I was simply addressing the idea that because a food wasn't available to our ancestors, doesn't mean that it is inferior.

Also, I think Sally Fallon and the other bloggers on WAPF do a somewhat poor job of representing Price's actual recommendations. (fallons presentations are better) But that is that you should eat according to your own ancestral health, so like the area post-paleo to now. If your ancestry wasn't gorging on pastured raw butter and bone broths, then Price would probably say that it is not ideal for you. There is some evidence to support this, although it is in direct contrast to my opening point haha.


Well, yeah, a non-ancestral food doesn't HAVE to be bad for you, but the odds of it being good for you are a hell of a lot worse than ancestral foods. We've had enough time since the dawn of agriculture to develop some adaptations, although they tend to be the adaptations that get you to the point of successfully raising children, not necessarily to a long lifespan. The evolutionary pressure to raise children is high, while the evolutionary pressure for becoming a grandparent or great grandparent, while non-zero, is a lot lower, so it takes a lot more generations to develop such adaptations.
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#20 kgallard

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Posted 17 February 2013 - 07:08 PM

Hello misterE,
Today I read posts from you on another forum (one you no longer post on), and I was so intrigued that I looked for you and found you here. I've been kicking around the idea of writing a blog about my hairloss and I feel like you are spot on, though I am a woman & don't suffer from MPB specifically.
My experience of losing half of my hair led me to the belief that my hair-loss was similar to acne. The areas with the most loss get pustules and are inflamed. My scalp is usually dry, flaky, and irritated.
A week ago I adapted a vegan diet and am starting to treat my scalp in the same manner I treat my face.
I believe that, yes, we are born with our genes, but that they *react* to our environment (internal & external), and that we form adaptations in our lifetime (epi-genes). To some extent we can reverse this.
When I read about hairloss I alway see 'inflammation.. genes.. hormones.. bacteria.. fungus..', all of these, other than genes, can be altered through diet, but even genes can be deactivated when environmental signals change.

We are omnivores, but we did not historically eat as much meat as we do now. During times when we ate more meat than grains,vegs, & fruit we suffered through famines (fasting/detox?) as well. This is why I have adopted a vegan diet-to recreate the internal environment my body was meant to have. I feel that this will counteract much of my issue, as hair-loss is a manifestation of my internal dysfunction.

Thank you for your citations! I will read them to get a better idea of the biology of my belief:)


My citations (wish they from academia:)
*Forks Over Knives
*Bruce Lipton Biology of Belief


#21 mikey

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Posted 19 March 2013 - 02:28 AM

I personally believe that an extremely-low-fat vegan diet is optimal

That position is extremely difficult to defend from an evolutionary/anthropological standpoint. We never evolved on such a diet, so it has to be considered abnormal. Hunter-gatherers ate plenty of meats and organ meats, this we know.


The diets under which humans may have evolved are not necessarily preferable let alone optimal.


An interesting notion is well-presented by the most intelligent naturopathic doctor I know, David Getoff.

Basically what he says is that vegan diets are missing some essential nutrients that would predict that if you were strictly vegan and your children were your lineage would end in a few generations, if not sooner.

Critical "essential" nutrients that are missing include vitamin B12, and EPA/DHA.

David notes that there are no true long-term vegan societies around the planet today, and this is why.

You can view what he says at: http://www.ihealthtu...b5ead49c06bebc3

#22 mikey

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Posted 20 March 2013 - 03:52 AM

Hello misterE,
Today I read posts from you on another forum (one you no longer post on), and I was so intrigued that I looked for you and found you here. I've been kicking around the idea of writing a blog about my hairloss and I feel like you are spot on, though I am a woman & don't suffer from MPB specifically.
My experience of losing half of my hair led me to the belief that my hair-loss was similar to acne. The areas with the most loss get pustules and are inflamed. My scalp is usually dry, flaky, and irritated.
A week ago I adapted a vegan diet and am starting to treat my scalp in the same manner I treat my face.
I believe that, yes, we are born with our genes, but that they *react* to our environment (internal & external), and that we form adaptations in our lifetime (epi-genes). To some extent we can reverse this.
When I read about hairloss I alway see 'inflammation.. genes.. hormones.. bacteria.. fungus..', all of these, other than genes, can be altered through diet, but even genes can be deactivated when environmental signals change.

We are omnivores, but we did not historically eat as much meat as we do now. During times when we ate more meat than grains,vegs, & fruit we suffered through famines (fasting/detox?) as well. This is why I have adopted a vegan diet-to recreate the internal environment my body was meant to have. I feel that this will counteract much of my issue, as hair-loss is a manifestation of my internal dysfunction.

Thank you for your citations! I will read them to get a better idea of the biology of my belief:)


My citations (wish they from academia:)
*Forks Over Knives
*Bruce Lipton Biology of Belief


Correction: Reading the seminal study "Paleolithic Nutrition," by Eaton and Konner, it was noted that during various times over the last 2 million years, we did eat great amounts of meat - 50% of diet during some periods for specific populations.

Edited by mikey, 20 March 2013 - 03:52 AM.

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#23 mikey

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Posted 20 March 2013 - 03:57 AM

Has anyone here has experienced increased hair count like I have from taking tocotrienols - Tocomin SupraBio, to be specific.

There's no question that my hair is thicker - meaning more hair count - after taking them for about five months.

As well, a doctor friend also experienced more hair count after about five months of taking them.

There's a publication that shows 34% more hair count using them.

Edited by mikey, 20 March 2013 - 03:58 AM.


#24 JLL

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Posted 21 March 2013 - 04:19 PM

Has anyone here has experienced increased hair count like I have from taking tocotrienols - Tocomin SupraBio, to be specific.

There's no question that my hair is thicker - meaning more hair count - after taking them for about five months.

As well, a doctor friend also experienced more hair count after about five months of taking them.

There's a publication that shows 34% more hair count using them.


I took tocotrienols for two months but didn't notice any increase in hair growth. Do you have before/after pictures? Did you have hair loss before?

#25 mikey

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 06:33 AM

Has anyone here has experienced increased hair count like I have from taking tocotrienols - Tocomin SupraBio, to be specific.

There's no question that my hair is thicker - meaning more hair count - after taking them for about five months.

As well, a doctor friend also experienced more hair count after about five months of taking them.

There's a publication that shows 34% more hair count using them.


I took tocotrienols for two months but didn't notice any increase in hair growth. Do you have before/after pictures? Did you have hair loss before?


Two months isn't long enough to see an effect.
The published study was for eight months. I spoke with a Carotech rep about the study and the reason they made it eight months is because some people might not get an effect unless they watched them for that long.

Both I and my doctor friend saw increased hair count after about five months.

I don't have good photos that show the difference, but I did have a bit of hair loss starting.

What is convincing is that other people who hadn't seen me for a while noted, right away, when they saw me that my hair looked thicker, without prompting.

Further, my doctor friend texted me after taking them for about five months that his barber and his staff had all noticed that his hair was more full.

#26 JLL

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 09:01 AM

I'm glad it worked for you. At the time of writing that post I was also following topics on tocotrienols on various hair loss forums and no one saw any effects either, despite using it for 6 months or so.

#27 niner

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 01:01 PM

At the time of writing that post I was also following topics on tocotrienols on various hair loss forums and no one saw any effects either, despite using it for 6 months or so.


I wonder if there is an age-dependence with this? Mikey (presumably his doctor too) is older than the typical hairloss forum guy, who tends to be on the young side.

#28 nowayout

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 03:30 PM

Has anyone here has experienced increased hair count like I have from taking tocotrienols - Tocomin SupraBio, to be specific.

There's a publication that shows 34% more hair count using them.


Those are Indonesian/Malaysian names. Those countries are making an industry of exporting palm oil products (including these tocotrienols). I would not discount an industry connection and bias there.

By the way, palm oil plantations have in the past couple of decades decimated the rainforest there, so you are contributing to this environmental crime by buying these palm oil products.

#29 sthira

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 06:44 PM

By the way, palm oil plantations have in the past couple of decades decimated the rainforest there, so you are contributing to this environmental crime by buying these palm oil products.


Yes, and these plantations are decimating wild orangutan populations. Fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild on Borneo and Sumatra.

The palm oil industry, which is causing clear-cutting of forests, forest fires, and also facilitates greater access for hunters and traders, is one of the most important factors for the dramatic reduction of orangutan populations.

You should care about wild orangs more than you care about palm oil products. Orangutans are amazingly awesome and cool and chill creatures.

#30 mikey

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Posted 22 March 2013 - 08:25 PM

By the way, palm oil plantations have in the past couple of decades decimated the rainforest there, so you are contributing to this environmental crime by buying these palm oil products.


Yes, and these plantations are decimating wild orangutan populations. Fewer than 60,000 orangutans remain in the wild on Borneo and Sumatra.

The palm oil industry, which is causing clear-cutting of forests, forest fires, and also facilitates greater access for hunters and traders, is one of the most important factors for the dramatic reduction of orangutan populations.

You should care about wild orangs more than you care about palm oil products. Orangutans are amazingly awesome and cool and chill creatures.


Thanks for kicking me ass. I didn't know.





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