What about cold-pressed sesame oil? Can I use it as a carrier oil?

Rob,

Any thoughts on this? How long does inflammation last for scalp exercises? Can it be distinguished from being chronic,

Thanks,
Destin

Dominik

I have used ketoconazole 1% and it caused hair thinning, dry scalp etc, so I had to stop it.
Now I use 1% piroctone Olamine and my hair are smooth and dense now. I have no idea if 2% will be better though

Can i do Derma rolling without applying any topical or Min / Fid treatment?

Thanks,
Akash

It seems you reduced foods that are allergens and causes inflammation (sugars, processed foods and daily/animal products). In my opinion, that was a key factor and not just the vegan part. Vegan does not always mean healthy, especially when one still eat sugars. I am plant based for years, and I have dealt with hair loss for the same number of years I have been plant based.

I have a few more questions about your article. Again, I appreciate your response.

You stated twice that “vitamin D levels are 74% lower in vegans than in meat eaters,” citing Winston John Craig’s 2010 article “Nutrition Concerns and Health Effects of Vegetarian Diets.” I am curious where you found those statistics in that article. I have the article in front of me and I cannot find it. I only see that it says that vitamin D status can be “compromised in some vegans” and that vitamin D deficiency was reported in vegan groups that did supplement or consume fortified foods.

Could you perhaps have been referring to the 2011 EPIC-Oxford Study? Here is a quote from the study. “Although the vegans had lower vitamin D levels than did meat-eaters, their vitamin D levels would be considered in the healthy range of 50 to 125 nmol/l according to the Institute of Medicine. The researchers noted that the average vitamin D levels in vegans were “comparable, if not slightly higher, than that reported in other studies among the general British population,” although this could be due to differences in the measurement method. The researchers surmised that the lower calcium intake in vegans may have lowered their vitamin D levels further because more 25(OH)D would be converted into the active vitamin D hormone to increase calcium absorption.”

You also claimed that a low-fat diet is associated with vitamin D deficiency. Aside from the fact that vegan and vegetarian diets are often high in fat and full of nut butter, coconut oil, and olive oil, I cannot find a credible connection between a low-fat diet and vitamin D deficiency. It is well known that oral vitamin D supplements are absorbed better when taken with a meal containing fat. However, vitamin D from sunlight is synthesized from natural oils in the skin and is not connected to dietary fat intake. In fact, a study from the Netherlands found that lower vitamin D levels in the general population are associated in women with abdominal fat and in men with fatty liver. Also, people who have issues absorbing fat will have issues absorbing fat-soluble vitamins. A 2009 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that skin pigmentation and sun exposure had more significant effects on vitamin D status than did a diet.

In a brand new study from UC San Diego, researchers found that gut bacteria may play a crucial role in converting vitamin D to its active form. They found that active vitamin D levels correlated with the diversity of the community of bacteria. And even though more research is needed, they think that the ability to metabolize vitamin D may be more important than how much vitamin D you get through supplements or the sun.

You also wrote that “research suggests that our bodies tan, in part, to protect against vitamin D toxicity.” As far as I understand, our bodies do not tan to protect against vitamin D toxicity, our bodies regulate vitamin D production through sun exposure. What research are you referring to? I am curious.

“Thyroid-Gut-Axis: How Does the Microbiota Influence Thyroid Function?” is an interesting article, published in Nutrients in 2020, that analyzes the relationship between thyroid function, intestinal health, and the gut microbiome. I would argue that the most recent research, including the Sonnenburg studies I mentioned in my last comment, suggests that the problematic symptoms people experience on vegan, vegetarian, and plant-based diets may be rooted in a perturbed and depleted microbiome that is dysfunctional and unable to process plant fibers. And this explains why so many people feel better on a keto or carnivore diet. As Justin Sonnenburg said, these diets can act like antibiotics in the gut because they limit the amount of fuel the bacteria can access. These diets can alleviate unwanted symptoms but they don’t fix the root of the problem which is a depleted microbiome.

FYI I am at home with Covid, not too sick but with enough time on my hands to really look into the details of your article. I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Thank you.

Thanks! I think it’s potentially a wonderful idea, though you might need to play with the dosage of flutamide. There’s some evidence supporting daily use of 0.25 mg oral minoxidil + 25 mg spironolactone, so that’s another option.

Best,
Rob

We know that multiple studies have confirmed that B12 deficiency can be caused by genetic factors, age, and intestinal malabsorption. Vegans and vegetarians know to supplement with B12, as most of us should because some meat eaters are at risk as well. Everyone should have their vitamin D levels checked regardless of what diet they eat. I don’t know of anyone that would recommend relying on animal protein to reach adequate levels of vitamin D. Risk factors for low vitamin D include having dark skin, being older or overweight, and having malabsorption issues to name a few.

Another important consideration is soy and cruciferous vegetables. All of the most recent research has concluded that, in regular amounts, soy and cruciferous veggies do not slow the thyroid. A group that ate the highest amount of soy products only had a small and insignificant reduction in thyroid hormone. There has only been one isolated case of an elderly woman juicing pounds of cabbage a day that can be attributed to cruciferous veggies causing hypothyroidism. Both whole, organic soy and cruciferous veggies are associated with lower rates of cancer and lower inflammation.

The last consideration is phytates, which work as an antioxidant in the colon and have been shown to be protective against colon cancer. There was an extensive meta-analysis on the Mediterranean diet, which is very high in phytates, that showed zero correlation between phytic acid and nutrient deficiency. And this has been shown again and again in populations that are not starving. Yet so-called nutrition ‘gurus’ continue to cite inconclusive studies that were done on impoverished and resource-poor demographics to make the claim that phytates should be avoided. It is honestly, in my opinion, irresponsible given the fact that colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the US.

Have you seen the recent studies by the Sonnenburg Lab at Stanford? They found that a high fiber diet resulted in 2 distinct reactions. One group increased microbiome diversity and had lowered inflammatory markers. The second group’s microbiome did not diversify and they had increased inflammatory markers. What they found in the second group is that their microbiome was depleted to begin with. Another study they did found that low fiber diets in mice resulted in depleted microbiomes. And over several generations, adding fiber back into the diet could not replenish the microbiome because the mice had lost the bacteria that break down fiber. When bacteria break down fiber, they make short-chain fatty acids, which are the marker of health in the human body.

The largest microbiome study by the American Gut Project found that Americans have some of the most depleted microbiomes in the world. Many Americans have lost the bacteria that break down fiber. They have also lost bacteria that protect against SIBO and other digestive issues. And like the results of the most recent Sonnenburg study, these people may experience increased inflammation and digestive distress when switching to a whole-food plant-based diet. I suspect that this is at the root of why vegan diets cause problems for some people and not for others.

There is also evidence to suggest that we can regrow the diversity in our microbiome. It involves introducing fiber-rich foods in small quantities that don’t cause problematic symptoms. For example, eating one tablespoon of black beans once a day can give beneficial bacteria a chance to regrow. When certain people who are sensitive eat too many black beans at once, the result can be an overgrowth of problematic bacteria – bacteria that would otherwise be kept in check by a diverse microbiome.

I am very curious to know your reasoning behind why a vegan diet could potentially cause hypothyroidism. Thank you for your response.

Without a healthy microbiome, we cannot absorb the nutrients we need from the food we consume. It has been shown that Americans have depleted microbiomes and it is presumed to be, in large part, due to our diet. There is emerging evidence that we can rebuild our microbiome with a whole food plant-based diet – but it takes patience, know-how, and time. I have a hunch that this may be why some people are able to grow hair on a vegan diet.

I attempted to rebuild my microbiome six months ago based on the evidence I have gathered. I ate as many different kinds of plant foods as I could and I also dropped excess fat from my diet. Of course, I eliminated all processed foods, sugar, processed oils, and most animal products. Six months later and my hair has grown thicker than it was. My fingernails are also stronger and I feel better than ever. My digestive issues have cleared up. Like my mother, my evidence is only anecdotal, I really have no idea what might have caused my hair growth. 

My point in writing this is that fad diets, like vegan and keto, might cause hair loss because of a potential shift that happens in the microbiome when we drastically change what we eat. There are well-documented studies showing significant shifts in the microbiome when eliminating animal products from the diet. It has also been well-documented that western diets, which deplete the microbiome, also promote digestive issues. We know that digestive issues can cause hair loss. The microbiome is a crucial consideration when linking diet to hair growth.

You mentioned how comments in the forum devolve into attacks and biased generalizations. Obviously, different approaches work for different people and most, if not all, of the evidence in the comments is subjective. However, you acknowledge in this article that your experience on a vegan diet may have been tainted by a calorie deficit. It may also have been affected by the bacteria in your microbiome in addition to many other possible factors. Your article was based on anecdotal evidence. And yet you chose to name that particular article based on a generalized claim that was applied to your readers (you told us that a vegan diet would NOT grow our hair). Is it not obvious that click-bate titles, making broad and biased claims serve to fuel the fires of more baseless arguments? When we are in positions of authority, like you are, we have a responsibility to be conscious of how we are affecting those who we influence. A more accurate title would have been “my experience on a vegan diet.” The rest of your articles have clear and unassuming titles. Why did you choose to name that article in such a way? I am honestly curious…