Hey all,
I was wondering about the atkin's diet and male pattern hair loss? I am a 28 year old man going bald and just recently started on the atkin's diet. I was wondering if eating carbohydrates has anything to do with the speeding up of male pattern hair loss? I know there have been studies done where eating carbohydrates is linked to acne, PCOS in women (which leads to excess hairiness and male pattern hair loss in some), hyperinsulinemia, and know that those with these conditions are more likely to go bald. Does anyone think there may be a correlation between eating excessive carbohydrates and male pattern hair loss? I often see bald men walking around with the big "sugar" bellys and tried to put two and two together. Or does eating the excess meat on this diet (especially red meat) cause a man to go bald faster? Any thoughts out there from the men with receding hair lines? Thank You for your time

Hi Javy,

I want to tell you some thing very important that I learned the hard way. Atkins <I>can</i> hasten hair loss- <B>if you have a casual attitude about taking vitamins</b>. I cannot stress enough the importance of excellent vitamin and mineral supplements on this WOL.
I am glad to tell that after getting on proper vitamins, my hair loss abated and the front is looking a bit fuller now (a year later).
This is obviously not the male-pattern baldness you asked about, but it is worth noting.

All things considered, Atkins has been worthwhile to me, and even though the supplements I take are friggin' HORSE PILLS (not literally ). I still recommend it to all and sundry!

What are the best vitamins and minerals to be on when on Atkin's diet and worried about male pattern hair loss? AND what are the best brand names of these vitamins and minerals?

Any drastic change/stress on the body can cause hair loss. And changing the way you are eating is definately a stress! I (female) was also losing some hair about 3-4 months into the diet. It lasted for a few months, but now everything that I lost has grown back in.

I second the thought that any mulit-vitamin should do, just check the expiration date.

My hair did not suffer at all but I take lots of supplements and I've kept my weight loss pretty slow and steady. Also my diet didn't change as drastically as for some folks - I've always preferred "meat and veggies" to carbs so it wasn't so much of a shock to my system when I totally cut out the bad carbs.

Hi Javy,

Here is a page addressing exactly this issue:
Low Carbezine

In this article, the author names some specific nutrients that, when absent, can cause hair loss. There is also general good stuff about vitamins.

By the way, I find Dana Carpender's Low Carbezine to be an invaluable resource for all things low carb. It's in my big three: this site, Dana's and Low Carb Luxury.

Dana has also written an excellent book entitled "How I Gave Up My Low Fat Diet and Lost 40 Pounds".

She has a LC cookbook out that I haven't read, but will get as it is supposed to be excellent.

Here is a complementary article from Low Carb Luxury

So does anyone think that the Atkin's diet makes a balding man go bald faster?

No.