Insulin contributes to hair loss?

[donkdidonk2]

My friend says that Dr Mercola (?) says that Insulin Growth Factor 1 causes hair loss. What is IGF 1 and what is its relation to insulin? Is the theory nonsense? Shall I pack in the booze and Diet Coke, as they lead to an insulin surge?

 

[kevinme]

It does? Colostrum stimulates IGF and I've been taking it for 4 months AND I still have hairloss. But this story tells different about Colostrum and IGF:

Colostrum is quite an extraordinary substance. It contains nutrients, enzymes, proteins, immunoglobulin (immune system protectant), and certain powerful growth stimulators such as the insulin-like growth factors (IGF). IGF peptides are closely related to the hormone somatotrophin, better known as human growth hormone, which is one of the most intriguing anti-aging substances.

Human growth hormone can stimulate hair growth on newly balding areas. Bovine colostrum contains a higher concentration of IGF-1 than human colostrum, and its structure is virtually identical. The amino acid L-Arginine has also been shown to stimulate HGH, however bovine colostrum delivers it more directly.

Colostrum, is produced when a mother animal gives birth to its offspring, its mammary glands filter out of the blood the immune factors it has acquired through a lifetime of fighting disease-causing organisms. It then concentrates these factors into a special non-milk immune supporting fluid called colostrum. A mother animal produces true colostrum for only the first twenty-four hours after giving birth.

Aside from growth hormone, colostrum contains significant amounts of interlukin-10 (a strong inflammation inhibitory agent). Another substance called TgF-B, has an important suppressive effect on cytotoxic substances (toxins in cells), this also has a powerful anti-inflammatory function. Bovine colostrum has yet another anti-inflammatory substance PRP, which has the same ability to regulate activity of the immune system as hormones of the thymus gland. It activates an underactive immune system, helping it move into action against disease-causing organisms. Most importantly for hair, PRP also suppresses an overactive immune system.

The combination of a strong anti-inflammatory effect coupled with a suppression of allergic response of inflamed tissue and cells is a very potent treatment for hair loss.

As with the substance PRP, the immunoglobulins that colostrum contains may also be responsible for regulating allergic response.

Colostrum has only been available in supplement form since 1997. The make up of colostrum increases the uptake of amino acids into cells, quite vital for hair growth. It is the Insulin growth factor (IGF) in colostrum that increases transport of amino acids into cells. Human IGF-1 (hGH) and bovine IGF-1 differ by only three amino acids in the sixty-seven-amino acids chain that makes up the IGF-1 molecule. Because of this similarity, bovine IGF-1 is just as potent as the human form and most likely quite a bit safer than a synthesized hGH.

 

[Buffboy]

The combination of a strong anti-inflammatory effect coupled with a suppression of allergic response of inflamed tissue and cells is a very potent treatment for hair loss.

Is this Colustrum generally considered a drug for treating hairloss? Why haven't I heard anything about it before? Why are you taking it kevinme?

 

[kevinme]

It's not generaly considered a drug for hairloss in the community. But I'm taking it because of the anti inflammation and the ability to reverse follicle miniaturezation.

 

[thin=depressed]

It does? Colostrum stimulates IGF and I've been taking it for 4 months AND I still have hairloss. But this story tells different about Colostrum and IGF:

Colostrum is quite an extraordinary substance. It contains nutrients, enzymes, proteins, immunoglobulin (immune system protectant), and certain powerful growth stimulators such as the insulin-like growth factors (IGF). IGF peptides are closely related to the hormone somatotrophin, better known as human growth hormone, which is one of the most intriguing anti-aging substances.

Human growth hormone can stimulate hair growth on newly balding areas. Bovine colostrum contains a higher concentration of IGF-1 than human colostrum, and its structure is virtually identical. The amino acid L-Arginine has also been shown to stimulate HGH, however bovine colostrum delivers it more directly.

Colostrum, is produced when a mother animal gives birth to its offspring, its mammary glands filter out of the blood the immune factors it has acquired through a lifetime of fighting disease-causing organisms. It then concentrates these factors into a special non-milk immune supporting fluid called colostrum. A mother animal produces true colostrum for only the first twenty-four hours after giving birth.

Aside from growth hormone, colostrum contains significant amounts of interlukin-10 (a strong inflammation inhibitory agent). Another substance called TgF-B, has an important suppressive effect on cytotoxic substances (toxins in cells), this also has a powerful anti-inflammatory function. Bovine colostrum has yet another anti-inflammatory substance PRP, which has the same ability to regulate activity of the immune system as hormones of the thymus gland. It activates an underactive immune system, helping it move into action against disease-causing organisms. Most importantly for hair, PRP also suppresses an overactive immune system.

The combination of a strong anti-inflammatory effect coupled with a suppression of allergic response of inflamed tissue and cells is a very potent treatment for hair loss.

As with the substance PRP, the immunoglobulins that colostrum contains may also be responsible for regulating allergic response.

Colostrum has only been available in supplement form since 1997. The make up of colostrum increases the uptake of amino acids into cells, quite vital for hair growth. It is the Insulin growth factor (IGF) in colostrum that increases transport of amino acids into cells. Human IGF-1 (hGH) and bovine IGF-1 differ by only three amino acids in the sixty-seven-amino acids chain that makes up the IGF-1 molecule. Because of this similarity, bovine IGF-1 is just as potent as the human form and most likely quite a bit safer than a synthesized hGH.

Holy cow, thanks for the great info on insulin. Cudos

 

[Brasileirao]

The expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 in follicular dermal papillae correlates with therapeutic efficacy of finasteride in androgenetic alopecia.



J Am Acad Dermatol. 2003 Aug;49(2):229-33.


The expression of insulin-like growth factor 1 in follicular dermal papillae correlates with therapeutic efficacy of finasteride in androgenetic alopecia.


Tang L, Bernardo O, Bolduc C, Lui H, Madani S, Shapiro J.


Division of Dermatology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver Hospital, Canada.


BACKGROUND: It is generally believed that dihydrotestosterone is one of the pivotal mediators of hair loss in androgenetic alopecia (Androgenetic Alopecia). Finasteride, which blocks the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone, has now become an integral part of the current treatment approaches for male Androgenetic Alopecia. Several lines of evidence support the notion that dermal papilla (DP) cells represent the androgen target within the hair follicle. The specific molecular regulators modulated by androgens within hair follicles in the balding scalp are unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify changes in expression of specific molecular hair growth regulators in DP of men with Androgenetic Alopecia treated with finasteride and correlate these findings to clinical efficacy. METHODS: Biopsy specimens were collected from 9 male patients from both the balding area and nonbalding occipital area before and after 4 months of finasteride therapy. DP were microdissected and total RNA was extracted from an equal number of DP from each biopsy specimen. The expression of various cytokines, including insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, was determined by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The signals were detected by autoradiography. All 9 patients were given finasteride for 1 year and evaluated for efficacy at month 12. Efficacy was graded on a 7-point scale on the basis of comparison with initial baseline photography. RESULTS: IGF-1 was up-regulated by finasteride treatment in 4 of 9 patients. Among the patients with increased IGF-1 expression, 3 of them showed moderate clinical improvement after 12 months of treatment and another patient remained unchanged. In contrast, 3 patients with decreased IGF-1 expression in the balding scalp showed clinical worsening after 12 months. The other 2 patients without noticeable change in IGF-1 expression showed either slight improvement or no change in their hair condition. CONCLUSION: In a small uncontrolled study of 9 patients with Androgenetic Alopecia, an increased expression of IGF-1 messenger RNA levels in the DP was associated with patient response to finasteride.

This is interesting because of the correlation being made between insulin-like growth factor 1, and the efficacy of finasteride. This may explain why there is a broad range of responses to the drug.

Tony Montana

 

[stax]

So your saying that growth factor 1 will increase the positive effects of Finasteride? What product could i take that has growth factor 1?

 

[Idaho X]

My friend says that Dr Mercola (?) says that Insulin Growth Factor 1 causes hair loss. What is IGF 1 and what is its relation to insulin? Is the theory nonsense? Shall I pack in the booze and Diet Coke, as they lead to an insulin surge?

I think the doctor your friend was refering to was Dr. Mirkin. He's got a radio show and a website:

http://www.drmirkin.com

Dr. Mirkin has lots of ideas on hairloss:

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M119 -- 6/5/99 updated 3/22/00
HAIR LOSS AND INSULIN
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

Exciting new research shows that high blood levels of insulin and its growth factors may cause male pattern baldness in which men and women lose hair from the top and front of their heads, while hair on the sides of their scalp continue to grow luxuriously. A study from Harvard School of Public Health shows that men who have the highest blood levels of insulin like growth factor-1 are the ones most likely to suffer male pattern baldness. Women who have high levels of insulin (polycystic ovary syndrome) are the ones most likely to lose hair from the tops of their heads. It still is early in the research, but evidence is accumulating that male-pattern baldness may be caused by high levels of insulin that are produced by eating huge amounts of sugary and floured foods such as bakery products and pastas. We need research to show if male pattern baldness can be prevented by avoiding flour and sugar, eating fruits only with meals and taking drugs such as Glucophage, Actos and Avandia that lower insulin levels.

Signorello LB et al. Hormones and hair patterning in men: A role for insulin-like growth factor-1. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology February, 1999;40:200-203.

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8656 -- 10/10/00
MALE-PATTERN BALDNESS
Gabe Mirkin, M.D.

More than three years ago I reported that the present treatment for male-pattern baldness is almost worthless and that male-pattern baldness may be caused by insulin resistance, which means that eating sugar and flour contribute to hair loss. The prevailing explanation, that baldness is caused a male hormone called dihydrotestosterone, does not tell us what men do to lose their hair at a young age.

A study in Lancet ( September 30, 2000, page 1165) shows that male pattern baldness may be caused by insulin resistance. When you eat, your blood sugar level rises.. To keep blood sugar levels from rising too high, your pancreas releases insulin which drives sugar from the blood into your cells. Some people can't respond to insulin so their blood sugar levels rise too high and then they produce way too much insulin that may cause both men and women to lose hair. Men who are at high risk for male-pattern baldness store fat primarily in their bellies, rather than their hips; have high blood triglyceride levels, have low blood levels of the good HDL cholesterol that prevents heart attacks, have a family history of diabetes , and are at high risk for suffering a heart attack and eventually developing diabetes. They can help to prevent diabetes, heart attacks and possibly male pattern baldness by eating lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts. Avoid foods made with flour, white rice, milled corn and anything that has sugar added. Eat fruits and root vegetables such as potatoes only with meals.

1) Lotufo PA et al. Male pattern baldness and coronary heart disease. Arch Intern Med. 2000(Jan24);160:165-171.
2) J Androl 1997;18:495-500.
3) Arch Intern Med. 1991;151:1925-1933.
4) J Am Acad Derm 1998;39(4pt1):578-589.
5) J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 1994;50:169-174.
6)EA Platz, MN Pollak, WC Willett, E Giovannucci. Vertex balding, plasma insulin-like growth factor 1, and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 2000, Vol 42, Iss 6, pp 1003-1007

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NEW BREAKTHROUGHS IN MALE PATTERN BALDNESS.
Report #6943; TWO

We used to think that male-pattern baldness,/ on the top of the head/, is caused by a derivative of the male hormone called dihydrotestosterone. Recent research show that theory may be wrong and that male-pattern baldness may be caused by a combination of an infection and the female hormone, estrogen.

In the first study, French researchers report in the Journal of Dermatologic Treatment, that biopsies of the scalp in men with male-pattern baldness show signs of infection/ particularly a marked increase in the density of activated T cells and IgG antibody deposits. When men with male-pattern baldness rubbed an antibiotic cream on their balding heads for 10 months (piroctone olamine and triclosanon), biopsies showed that their T cells and IGG deposits disappeared and the rate of hair loss slowed down to normal. Another recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that the female hormone, estrogen, in mice puts hair into a resting stage that can prevent hair from growing/ and/ that giving hormones that block estrogen causes the hair to start growing again. If these studies can be duplicated by other researchers, the future treatment for male-pattern baldness may be to shampoo daily and then apply a special antibiotic cream to the scalp. I am sure that studies will start soon to see if a cream containing the anti-estrogen drug, tamoxifen, stops male-pattern baldness from progressing. More than 30 years ago, several studies showed that a cream containing another female hormone, called progesterone, slowed hair loss in male pattern baldness.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News

1) GE Pierard, C Pierardfranchimont, N Nikkelstassoudji, AF Nikkels, D Saintleger. Improvement in the inflammatory aspect of androgenetic alopecia. A pilot study with an antimicrobial lotion. Journal of Dermatological Treatment 7: 3 (SEP 1996): 153-157.

2) Smart RC et al. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences October 29, 1996.

 

[kevinme]

So what to believe? Does Colostrum (500mg, 25% IgG and 0.6% Lactoferrine and 50mg Lactobacillus Acidophilius) cause hairloss or not?

Another note, this colostrum that I'm taking doesn't contain the hormone growth factor and NOT IgF but IgG. Anyone know what that means?

 

[donkdidonk2]

SO these studies conflict, then - one says IGF-1 is needed for growth, Dr Mirkin (unfortunate name or what?!) says it causes baldness. Guess it shows how far we are from understanding it... :roll:

 

[Brasileirao]

Yeah, these are conflicting studies...

Im going to do some more research when I get a chance....

Tony

 

[Norwood2.5]

SO these studies conflict, then - one says IGF-1 is needed for growth, Dr Mirkin (unfortunate name or what?!) says it causes baldness.

If you research only 9 people, your conclusions will be worth crap. Might as well be pure coincidence, could as well have checked several other factors like number of times patients comb their hair or brushed their teeth and found some kind of correlation with that. The link between IGF-1 and baldness by the other study was performed on 51 men and is hence somewhat more relevant.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... t=Abstract

 

[Slartibartfast]

Not hair loss related but interesting nonetheless:

Researchers at Rhode Island Hospital and Brown Medical School have discovered that insulin and its related proteins are produced in the brain, and that reduced levels of both are linked to Alzheimer's disease. The findings are reported in the March issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease (http://www.j-alz.com), published by IOS Press.

"What we found is that insulin is not just produced in the pancreas, but also in the brain. And we discovered that insulin and its growth factors, which are necessary for the survival of brain cells, contribute to the progression of Alzheimer's," says senior author Suzanne M. de la Monte, a neuropathologist at Rhode Island Hospital and a professor of pathology at Brown Medical School. "This raises the possibility of a Type 3 diabetes."

It has previously been known that insulin resistance, a characteristic of diabetes, is tied to neurodegeneration. While scientists have suspected a link between diabetes and Alzheimer's disease, this is the first study to provide evidence of that connection.

By studying a gene abnormality in rats that blocks insulin signaling in the brain, researchers found that insulin and IGF I and II are all expressed in neurons in several regions in the brain.

Additionally, researchers determined that a drop in insulin production in the brain contributes to the degeneration of brain cells, an early symptom of Alzheimer's. "These abnormalities do not correspond to Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, but reflect a different and more complex disease process that originates in the CNS (central nervous system)," the paper states.

By looking at postmortem brain tissue from people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, researchers discovered that growth factors are not produced at normal levels in the hippocampus - the part of the brain responsible for memory. The absence of these growth factors, in turn, causes cells in other parts of the brain to die. Reserachers found that insulin and IGF I were significantly reduced in the frontal cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus - all areas that are affected by the progression of Alzheimer's. Conversely, in the cerebellum, which is generally not affected by Alzheimer's, scientists did not see the same drop in insulin and IGF I.

"Now that scientists have pinpointed insulin and its growth factors as contributors to Alzheimer's, this opens the way for targeted treatment to the brain and changes the way we view Alzheimer's disease," de la Monte says.

Slarti

 

[DammitLetMeIn]

SO these studies conflict, then - one says IGF-1 is needed for growth, Dr Mirkin (unfortunate name or what?!) says it causes baldness. Guess it shows how far we are from understanding it... :roll:

Its both. A normal level is needed.