Keto and Hair Loss, Etc.

danamcox

Background: I am 49 years old, menopausal and have been doing keto (117F/70P/25C) since August 2013, except for a two-week diet break at Christmas. From the end of February to August, I had lost about 45 pounds doing low cal/low fat (100-150 carbs). From August until now, I have lost 24 pounds. My BMR is 1436 and TDEE is 1728. I am sedentary for the most part and have my MFP calories set at 1400. On Fridays, we go out to dinner and I log anywhere from 1700-2500 calories/30-50 carbs for the day. I am not by any stretch of the imagination starving or malnourished. My diary is open.

Issue: For the past 4-6 months, I have been experiencing hair loss, cold hands and feet, being really cold all over (except when I'm sweating from the hot flashes) and under my eyes are a little sunken in (where dark circles would be if I had them -- but I don't). I have been researching these symptoms online and have found blogs and articles about upping carbs to balance hormones and increase metabolism, along with a lot of general keto-bashing. I have not yet, however, found any keto-friendly information on the topic.

I understand that things change as we age -- and I am at that age -- but I'm wondering if my symptoms may be keto-related - I hope not, though. At my last doctor's appointment a few months ago, all my blood work came back good (in fact, better than good -- I was taken off my blood pressure and cholesterol medication). I am taking nightly a multivitamin, potassium, magnesium, Estraven (for the hot flashes/night sweats) and now biotin (for the hair loss). Any thoughts or suggestions from those who have experienced similar symptoms would be most appreciated.

Thanks!

Dana

blablues

I am 31, have been on keto since July 2013, and I've noticed that I seem to have more hair coming out in the shower and when I brush it. Not enough to concern me because I have a lot of hair, but I noticed it happening. Otherwise, I feel fine, so maybe it's a random side effect of the diet that some people get. I also get cold hands and feet and am generally chilly, but I've always been that way so it doesn't seem any different to me. I actually take biotin, too, because I found out (before keto) that it helps keep my finger nails healthier. It will be interesting to see if anyone else has similar symptoms.

lfreeman910

UP YOUR PROTEIN!!! Protein is needed for all organ function, hair, nails and even skin!!! a good rule is .8 to 1 gram per pound of LEAN body mass. i'm 5'6'' and need to hit at least 90g a day! i upped my protein 3 months ago and my nails and hair have gotten so much thicker! hope this helps!

deoxy4

Found this post referencing cold hands and feet. You might find more information doing a search. Good luck!

https://www.marksdailyapple.com/forum/thread67114.html

epcooper

This isn't going to be a popular post, because I'm apparently one of the unlucky few who experienced the possible detrimental effects of keto. I'm only 30 and was in fairly good health before I started keto. I was never technically overweight, but I wanted to lose 10-15 lbs and I like the rigidity of keto. I stayed pretty strict over a 5-month period, with a few carb-ups. I made sure I ate plenty of fat and that my carbs came from vegetables. I was very careful not to under-eat. But in January I started to notice some of the same symptoms as you. My hair was falling out. I was cold all the time, and having trouble sleeping and experiencing awful night sweats. In addition, my libido tanked and my legs felt fatigued all the time (like I was going through keto flu again). I just got my test results back and it turns out my testosterone, vitamin D, and T4 are all very low. From my reading, I've learned that VLC diets can cause significant drops in testosterone (which is why they're so effective for women with PCOS) and thyroid hormones (something about needing glucose to convert T3 to T4). The low vitamin D is probably due to living in Germany, where it's gloomy for 7 months straight, but I feel that keto may have caused (or at the very lease exacerbated) the other hormonal issues. Now I'm waiting for a referral to an endocrinologist to try to resolve my testosterone issue, and figure out what's going on with my thyroid.

This obviously isn't true for every woman. There are a lot of people who handle keto just fine. I really wanted to be one of those women, so I held on for longer than I should have. In the end, I only dropped 6 lbs over 5 months with keto, and gained it all back as soon as I started eating carbs again. It'll take much longer for my hair to come back in though. I don't know if you've seen them already, but these are the blog posts that convinced me to add more starch and some fruit back to my diet:

http://robbwolf.com/2014/02/20/females-carbohydrates-hormones/

http://www.paleoforwomen.com/carbohydrates-for-fertility-and-health/

snoopyjet

I'm glad I came over this posts. I'm sorry to hear you had bad experience with keto.

I am also loosing more hair than usually and I had really tired legs for a week, but I thought that was because re-adapting to keto as I was thrown out from ketosis. I also train more so everything is connested. Anyway I will stick to it and see how it goes.

danamcox

Thank you all for your thoughtful responses. I had read the paleoforwomen article, but not the others. Sounds like I may need to up my carbs (and perhaps protein) a bit to balance what hormones I have left.

Hopefully, I can figure out all the numbers so that I can lose these last 41 pounds AND keep my hair in the process!

Dana

AllanMisner

I'd get your blood work done to get your hormones checked. My first concern is your thyroid function, but it could also be interacting with your testosterone/estrogen balance. Go see a doctor.

danamcox

My thyroid was "normal" in September. But with these relatively new developments, I guess I should get another set of tests run and ask them to focus on my hormones. Thanks for your input!

blablues

I just wanted to say thanks for the tip on the protein with hair loss...I haven't been paying as much attention to my protein as I should, especially since I'm working out and building muscle, and that may very well be my problem.

Leonidas_meets_Spartacus

Get your tests done for thyroid and hormones, I did monthly tests for last 3 months I have been in Keto. Every one is different, interestingly my testosterone levels levels have gone up on Keto. From what I have read, Ketosis should increase your testosterone levels or estrogen levels as per the Doctors who recommend this diet.