This is a lengthy post that will probably lead to more questions, but while most topics have been covered on this site over the years, one topic hasn’t had much attention until now.
There is a field called epigenetics that addresses those heritable factors, other than our DNA, that impact how we express our genes. We have long suspected that diet plays an important role, but the science that backs this up has been lacking. We know, for example, that there are some known dietary anti-androgens out there like turmeric (spice used in many Indian and Asian dishes), as well as the omega 3 fatty acids, which may be why a diet higher in fish/fish oil may impede hair loss and why the Westernization of diets in Asia may have accelerated it.
Dr Masumi Inaba of Japan wrote two books in the early 1990s (Androgenetic Alopecia and Human Body Odor), which were translated into English and published by Springer around 1996. He always claimed that there had been a significant increase in hair loss in Japan post-WWII and he attributed this to increased fat in the Japanese diet due to Western influences. This was back in the late 1980s. Again, the shadow of diet and hair loss is interwoven. As an aside, Inaba was also the first person to describe his FUE technique in detail.
At the last ISHRS meeting, a “power shake” that increased hair growth in those impacted with genetic hair loss was discussed. Dr. Jerry Shapiro presented his “power shake” at the meeting (PDF here), which is essentially a whey protein concentrate formulation loaded with a variety of elements that have been reported to help all people grow their hair faster after a hair transplant.
What about the individuals who are nutritionally deficient? Are we all nutritionally deficient in some way? The basic questions raised by many doctors is that those individuals who are known to have poor nutrition (e.g. alcoholics) have not shown to demonstrate significant hair loss apart from the general population. One might suggest that these particular individuals metabolize testosterone differently than non-nutritionally deprived people by producing estrogen instead of DHT, thereby protecting their hair from the ravages of genetic balding. There is intriguing data on cysteine/glutathione and hair, which would be boosted by the undenatured whey in his power shake. Kudzu root has known anti-inflammatory properties.
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Part 2 will be published tomorrow.
This post was in part taken from an email sent by the brilliant Dr. Sharon Keene in Tucson, Arizona.
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Hi,great post. I’m a firm believer that dairy consumption, particularly milk, accelerates hair loss and contributes to androgenic diseases like acne. I’ve seen it in my entire family. My family in Italy who have never regularly consumed milk all have full heads of hair going into their 60s. Here, most are bald by 30s and have acne even into their 50s
My pretty simple theory about this is that the Western diet includes more meat and dairy, products that contain protein and I believe hormones that contribute to an increase in testosterone levels. A positive aspect of this is that the human being becomes bigger and stronger as a result of such a diet. I would bet that if you looked at the post WW2 bodyweight and muscle mass of the Japanese, that they would have become bigger, stronger, and perhaps even taller people than on the prior diet. So I guess that is a positive…to be a bigger and stronger and more muscular person.
The downside is, of course, that increased testosterone leads to increased conversion of the hormone to DHT, which of course triggers the hair loss process in people with follicles sensitive to DHT. We even see this in the United States with some older people who get testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). They sometimes go on to experience hair loss that they have never experienced before. I believe there is a post on this site about precisely such a case.
This is interesting and may point toward dietary changes that those with hair loss may want to make. The trade off would probably be less muscle mass and less testosterone. But then again, we are human beings not animals in the wild so who really needs all that muscle mass and testosterone…