I've been reading through Danny Roddy's writings about calcium and hair. Many strict paleos such as myself who do not eat any dairy nor supplement with calcium eat far less calcium than the RDA. I do not understand the connection between calcium in the diet and it's purported benefits to hair. It seems to me protein, iron status, excessive cortisol or in women, testosterone, insulin resistance, thyroid staus and biotin deficiency would all have more to do with hair growth or lack thereof than calcium. The cultures that eat the least dairy arguably have some of the most impressive hair and least balding. Asians come to mind right away. I notice zero difference in hair growth with or without dairy but do notice that reintroducing it regularly -- even butter --results in greasier hair with more dandruff. Anybody notice a difference in hair growth after going dairy-free?
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Calcium is important in decreasing inflammation and promoting cellular respiration. Based on the writings of Dr. Peat, calcium activates cellular respiration, and decreases adrenaline, PTH, and prolactin. Calcium is needed in sufficient supply for adequate CO2 status. Low CO2 leads to high levels of lactic acid, adrenaline, and free fatty acids — all anti-hair. Low CO2 allows serotonin and histamine to "leak" from the platelets instead of being detoxified in the lungs. Excess levels of serotonin cause stress, impotence, low thyroid, and an increase in ACTH, cortisol, aldosterone, prolactin, and other "emergency" hormones. Solution: -High calcium to phosphate ratio -Adequate calcium co-factors (A, D, K) -Adequate sugar intake (increases CO2) |
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My hair grew like a weed when I was VLC and off dairy. Went from bald (shaved head) to BSL so fast my mother couldn't stop talking about it when she saw me. It was all I heard about her entire week visit! It's possible that my hair is greasier when I add in dairy, but it's hard to judge. I add it in so sporadically and usually not very much at one time, so I'm not exactly sure if I'm eating enough to judge. |
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For greasy, substitute "return of natural oils." My trigger seems to be the high protein/fat nature of ancestral eating, with or without dairy. I went most of my life without eating dairy, and my hair had plenty of the natural oils as long as I wasn't deficient in fat/protein. I'm currently able to eat yogurt and water kefir so that's probably part of the protein/fat equation too. |
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Is grey hair an intermediate step to hair loss? Is this tied into calcium? What if there divergent causes of hair loss. How does going dairy +/- affect hair across different cultures? Maybe the context of the rest of their diet dictates the effects of calcium on hair. |
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