First off. My apologies for the long delay. Work got in the way and I had hard deadlines to meet.
WARNING THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG POST, BUT VERY INFORMATIVE. I WILL TRY MY BEST TO BOLD THE MOST IMPORTANT EXCERPTS THAT SHOULD WARRANT ATTENTION!
Part 1 in the series...
Let's tackle the first part of your query: How Whey Protein Destroyed My Hair And Life:
My quick whey protein isolate story: When I was 23 years old,
I took high amounts of whey protein isolate 4 scoops per day 5x weekly. 4 scoops = 96g of protein. Plus protein from foods, I was getting around 140-155 grams of protein per day. Fast forward 1.5 years, severe Norwood 3V/4 diffuse hair loss.
Similar to itsnoahkennedy and bridgeburn but more thinning in the mid regions.
P.S. My diet is clean but my bro's diet is the opposite. Smokes hookah as well. He's 1.9 years older than me. He has a full head of hair. Never took bodybuilding supplements. This would be the same for me had I known about how detrimental whey protein and dairy is to the human body and hair.
Took me 6 years to connect the dots and conclude that whey protein was the culprit.
Here are a mixture of
eight plausible theories, observations, and factual evidence proving why whey protein/high-protein diets will directly lead to pattern baldness:
1.
Probably the best source of corroboration: "The (BCAA’s) Branched Chain Amino Acids in whey protein isolate (WPI) are the real culprit in raising the testosterone levels during and after exercise. Whey protein also has a high (BV) High Biological Value (6) and is absorbed easily due to its small molecular weight. Casein which is found in whey increases serum IGF-1. Scalp IGF-1 is pro hair but serum is anti-hair. An increase in serum IGF-1 can increase DHT. Take a look at the attached Shapiro Chart to see a pictorial view of how Whey Protein Isolate leads to baldness (Circled in red bottom right).
Also, some other user asked about creatine, one bodybuilding product. The answer is yes. Creatine leads to baldness by according to the author raising DHT directly without affecting serum testosterone levels [46] although IGF-1 is elevated [47,48]. A study showed that after 7 days (1 week) of creatine loading, or a further 2 weeks of creatine maintenance dose, there was no change in serum T levels. However, DHT levels increased by 56% after a week of creatine loading and remained 40% above baseline after two weeks of maintenance [42]. The effect of IGF-I was about 100x that of androgen [4]. See the attached creatine photo for proof."
2. Dr. Eric Berg’s Theory On High-Protein Diets: In that video he confirms
soy protein isolates or specific high protein diets can aggravate the liver disconnecting the conversion of thyroid hormones and
raising serum IGF-1 causing a buildup of androgens. The
serum IGF-1 he was probably referring to was the
unbound type, since it’s more bioavailable or freer to bind to androgen receptors, thus potentiating androgenic production
3. Ali Kuoppala Scientific-Based Conclusion On High-Protein Diets: As confirmed by the anabolic guru, Ali Kuoppala strongly believes based on clinical studies, high-protein diets decelerate testosterone, SHBG, and DHT production (you need some DHT (serum) for masculinity) and raise cortisol. Cortisol similar to prolactin is a stress hormone which can cause thyroid and hair depression.
4. High IGF-1 Levels In Respect To Whey Protein Supplementation: This study conducted over a period of two years further proves whey protein supplementation significantly elevates serum IGF-1. Too much serum IGF-1 causes male pattern baldness. My whey protein story was 1.5 years very close to the timeline of this study. If only I had known to check my hormone levels then, we would've had a glimpse on where these markers stand.
5. Another Scientific Study Cementing Loose Ends: As this study points out, there’s a direct relationship between protein supplements and high serum IGF-1.
6. Vertex Balding Males Had Higher Serum IGF-1 Content Than IGFBP-3: No need to sum it up. The title says it all.
7. Vertex Baldness Doubled With Men Having Higher Levels Of Serum IGF-1 And Testosterone: No need to sum it up. The title says it all.
8. Hypoglycemia (extremely low levels of glucose) Branches From Exaggerated Insulin And/Or Serum IGF-1 Levels: Because
serum IGF-1 is very similar to insulin,
it can produce the same effects as insulin by binding to the cell receptors. Based on my story, I was double counting the production of insulin- one through
serum IGF-1 and the other through insulin.
The overproduction of insulin eventually lead to hypoglycemia, which progressively forced my cell receptors to block the invasion of more insulin from entering into the blood.
Overtime, this vicious cycle lead to a pile up of more sugar in my blood causing some form of
insulin resistance. We all know insulin resistance is one of the primary causes of hormonal imbalance and hair loss, and sadly, I was most likely the beneficiary.
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