Insulin resistance the main cuase of male pattern baldness?

[zackb]

Typically, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin or SHBG binds testosterone and controls the amount available in the blood. Lowered levels of SHBG result in more free testosterone, which can be converted into DHT by 5-alpha reductase.

Sex hormone binding globulin is reduced by high insulin levels. Thus, when insulin levels are high, free testosterone is increased. Most likely, increasing the level of free testosterone is one more way for our bodies to deal with high blood sugar. The level of free testosterone, and not total testosterone, is determinant of the level of DHT in the scalp. Thus, the level of DHT is directly linked to insulin levels.

Statistically, men who are bald are more likely to be insulin resistant and more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. There seems to be a correlation between male pattern baldness and metabolic syndrome, though androgens are not shown to cause heart disease or metabolic syndrome\diabetes directly and actually may offer some protection against diabetes. High insulin levels seem the likely link between the two conditions.

Increased levels of Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) has also been linked to vertex balding [3]

Increased incidence of androgenic alopecia has been linked to a high fat diet, the most notable example of which is the population of post WWII Japan, which saw its incidence of hair loss increase dramatically as it's intake of fatty foods also increased (and height increased as well.)

Back to top

 

[seancashmere]

Typically, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin or SHBG binds testosterone and controls the amount available in the blood. Lowered levels of SHBG result in more free testosterone, which can be converted into DHT by 5-alpha reductase.

Sex hormone binding globulin is reduced by high insulin levels. Thus, when insulin levels are high, free testosterone is increased. Most likely, increasing the level of free testosterone is one more way for our bodies to deal with high blood sugar. The level of free testosterone, and not total testosterone, is determinant of the level of DHT in the scalp. Thus, the level of DHT is directly linked to insulin levels.

Statistically, men who are bald are more likely to be insulin resistant and more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. There seems to be a correlation between male pattern baldness and metabolic syndrome, though androgens are not shown to cause heart disease or metabolic syndrome\diabetes directly and actually may offer some protection against diabetes. High insulin levels seem the likely link between the two conditions.

Increased levels of Insulin Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1) has also been linked to vertex balding [3]

Increased incidence of androgenic alopecia has been linked to a high fat diet, the most notable example of which is the population of post WWII Japan, which saw its incidence of hair loss increase dramatically as it's intake of fatty foods also increased (and height increased as well.)

Back to top

You know you just can't quote something and not give credit to its source, right?

Anyway, so what lifestyle changes are recommended? Lower sugar intake, lower cholesterol intake? Lower fat intake? All three? None? Also, wouldn't that mean that people who are fat or have diabetes also have male pattern baldness? I know, you're no researcher... I mean, after all you did plagerize this. So, based on this finding, are there any propective treatments or meds in the works now? Throw me a bone man.

 

[powersam]

zackb this is the third or fourth thread you've started in a short space of time on the one subject. give it a rest.

sean cashmere look up polycystatic ovarian syndrome or PCOS and look at the treatments for that. theres your answer. this is basically the male version of PCOS

 

[seancashmere]

Hey Sam, that sounds like multiple cysts growing on ovaries... I can see how you can conclude this as the male version of polycystaic ovarian syndrome, but I can't fathom how treatment or lifestyle changes would be the same. Please, why don't you inform me brah!

 

[powersam]

well the basis of pcos is insulin resistance. which means that your body is insensitive to insulin and therefore produces too much. which in turn means your glucose levels are far to high.

treatments are very simple. fasting for one day a week will increase insulin sensitivity by 60%, regular exercise will help to an even greater degree. avoid foods with a high glycemic index. cinnamon also apparently helps, so sprinkle some on your porridge as rolled oats are slowly digested and very good for you. in short, move more and eat less. the same things that would help type 2 diabetes will help insulin resistance.

 

[Bryan]

cinnamon also apparently helps...

So does vinegar, which was tested recently in a small study published in Diabetes. The researchers gave 30 grams of vinegar to test subjects prior to meals with carbohydrates, and found that it had metformin-like effects at controlling blood sugar and insulin.

Bryan

 

[powersam]

vinegar before the meal helps? thanks for the info

 

[michael barry]

zackb,

Ive been beating this insulin-resistance drum for a while now. The Japanese are balding more than they used to for a reason. Free circulating testosterone in the scalp may very well be the culprit. If you think about it.....the alpha five type two enzyme and type one are sitting there right in the follicle/sebacous gland. They proboably make most of the DHT that gets to the follicle. Giving them less testosterone to convert is proboably one of the reasons why spironolactone has so many dedicated users. spironolactone not only blocks receptors for several hours, but lowers testosterone production in the scalp.

High amounts of green tea supposedly help make more SBHG. The Western diet, with its high amounts of carbohydrates and sugars (gloucose) no doubt helps build insulin resisance.

*ON A SIDE NOTE TO POWERSAM.......Diabetes and baldness ARE linked. Advanced cases of diabetes are usually accompanied by baldness.

I think high amounts of animal fat might get the bod to make a little more alpha five reductase......but Ive come to believe over time its the insulin resistance more affecting the hair of the Japanese. They are a great testament to the increased incidence of baldness of a people with dietary changes.

BY the way......Bryans post about Vinegar could really help here....thats very good stuff. Ive complained ad nauseaum about our modern diets causing all sorts of ailments like the huge increase in diabetics, obesity, heart disease, hypertesion etc. With modern medicine, this stuff should not be happening. The change is dietary. McDonalds does not nourish a man....it gets him to overeat, clogs his arteries, and feeds him empty calories, intaking too much salt and sugar. Lean meats, nuts, veggies, and fruits would be so much healthier.

 

[powersam]

michael barry you don't have to convince me, ive been blabbering on about insulin resistance for years now. how we didnt notice each other going on about it i dont know but if you use search you'll probably find some very old posts by me about this very topic.

i've found a lot of benefit in changing my diet and getting more exercise etc. michael barry you might find it interesting to read up on Polycystatic Ovarian Sydnrome, PCOS. its a female condition which causes, among other things, scalp hairloss and increased body and facial hair. many feel that premature male pattern baldness is an indicator of a male version of PCOS. interesting stuff.

must admit i dropped green tea because of the caffeine, though i've read here and there caffeine actually protects against type2 diabetes. any opinions on this michael/bryan?

 

[seekinghair]

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is also thought to increase insulin sensitivity (plus is a wonderful antioxidant).

 

[Bryan]

For those of you who would actually like to read that study about vinegar and insulin resistance, here's a scan of it. Don't worry, it's quite short (barely over a page long), not terribly technical, and reads quickly and easily:

http://www.geocities.com/bryan50001/vinegar_insulin.htm

Notice that their tentative explanation for its effect (one of the possible explanations, anyway) is that the acetic acid in vinegar has been shown to suppress the activity of an enzyme which breaks down disaccharides into monosaccharides, presumably delaying their absorption.

I've taken to keeping a bottle of vinegar myself right here on the kitchen counter, along with a small jigger-sized plastic cup pre-measured at the 30-gram point (I drew a line with a Sharpie at that point on the cup). Prior to most meals (or at least the ones that are fairly high in carbs), I'll pour that little jigger of vinegar into a regular cup, add some water to dilute it, shake it up, and drink it down. I used to add a packet of Sweet N' Low to kill the sour taste, but I quickly got used to the tartness after a few doses; now I don't even need to mask the sourness anymore, I just drink it straight down! I actually kinda LIKE the taste now!

Bryan

 

[sublime]

Don't let this get out, people might realize that their diet might contributes to hair loss. Don't let reason get in the way people.......

 

[zackb]

So Bryan,

Are you with me on the connection?? From what I read, it seems like there is a connection. Maybe the insulin resistance cause something else to happen, and in reaction to that, the body produces more dht/test. I don't know, I am just theorizing. This connection needs to be explored.

 

[seancashmere]

Okay, so many unanswered questions. First, about vinegar. 30 grams, what? Thrice daily? Okay, 90 grams of vinegar per diem. That'll what? Help me to metabolize sugars or lower my blood sugar?

What's SBHG?


And what natural foods can I find Alpha Lipoic Acid in? Don't tell me stuff like eel either. Please, grapes or something.

 

[JustBreathe]

Raw squid is a great sorce of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

 

[powersam]

seancashmere every question you asked has already been answered in this post. i'll answer but read more carefully next time.

30 mls vinegar before any carb rich meal, Bryan - "Notice that their tentative explanation for its effect (one of the possible explanations, anyway) is that the acetic acid in vinegar has been shown to suppress the activity of an enzyme which breaks down disaccharides into monosaccharides, presumably delaying their absorption. "

sbhg is actually shbg and means sex hormone binding globulin and it is a glycoprotein that binds to sex hormones, specifically testosterone and estradiol.

flaxseeds contain the most ala as far as i know.

apart from raw squid of course which must be eaten raw, and if you put any kind of sauce on it you lose all the benefits. i've heard its best if you let it sit out of the fridge for a day or two to mature and then eat it.

 

[Bryan]

So Bryan,

Are you with me on the connection?? From what I read, it seems like there is a connection. Maybe the insulin resistance cause something else to happen, and in reaction to that, the body produces more dht/test. I don't know, I am just theorizing. This connection needs to be explored.

I'm honestly not sure what I think about all that. I generally tend to be a little dubious about alleged dietary influences, but I'm certainly not going to be dogmatic about it.

Bryan

 

[seekinghair]

Well I´m not a scientist but I have a humble therory on how insulin resistance fits in the male pattern baldness puzzle.
I don´t think insulin resistance causes an overall increase in Testosterone. If that what so diabetic people as a group would be more muscular than the average person or they would have a higher libido but the fact is that it goes the other way around (i. e. impotence is one of the main issues for diabetic men).
IMO what happens in insulin resistant people is that Testosterone cannot accomplish properly its anabolic function. So you end up having more T in the wrong places and in your scalp follicules among them. So insulin resitance does not provoke male pattern baldness itself but only accelerates the process in people who suffer already the desease. In fact the Czech study is focussed on early onset of male hairloss rather than regular male pattern baldness.
Of course there might many holes in my theory. I. E. wouldn´t insulin resistance men show a more accute andro phenotype (muscle aside) with more body and facial hair, greasy skin, acne, higher libido? (well in fact many balding guys show some of those features)
Again I am not a scientist. Just sharing my amateur ideas.

 

[sublime]

Raw squid is a great sorce of Alpha Lipoic Acid.

ALA/ALC is the best bet if you are pursuing this route. It is easily accessable (portable) and doesn't taste like vinegar or squid. :x Plus it will also help regulate your thryoid.

 

[JustBreathe]

Now I feel kind of sly....I have no idea if raw squid has ALA in it, i just wanted to make seancashmere eat some :lol:

Sublime: Can we get ALA/ALC as a suppliment? I would be very interested in adding this to my assult on alopecia.

How does it help regulate the thyroid?