The peculiar case of bamboo flour

[Dutchie]

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some bamboo flour (usually used in keto baking) as a source of insoluble fiber next to or as a substitution for coconut flour and this microcrystalline cellulose powder I already had.

My daily bamboo flour intake is approximately 1-2grams.
Ever since starting I noticed that my breasts felt very tender, sometimes downright painful.
I had the suspicion this was bc of the bamboo flour, so yesterday I decided to test this theory and took no bamboo flour. The tenderness immediately was noticeably lower.....and this morning when I got up to pee, I noticed that my period started......after having been absent for 2+ years!

I imagine a possible hormonal shift might've slowly happened over the past year,due to various daily small incorporations, but the actual bleeding started since the incorporation of bamboo flour.


On a sidenote, I'm not sure if the flour is low or free of oxalates, bc I do experience some cloudy urine after eating. (so I don't know what would happen in an oxalate sensitive person, who'd eat 5-15 grams of it,per commonly advocated fiber supplemental intake)

 

[ecstatichamster]

So my very unscientific hypothesis is that the flour absorbed a lot of bile and that bile had a lot of estrogen in it, and that this resulted in restoring the effects of progesterone opposing estrogen. It may actually be a Good Thing. Not really sure about bamboo flour. This is the first I heard of it. I might try it now that you mentioned it.

 

[Peatful]

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some bamboo flour (usually used in keto baking) as a source of insoluble fiber next to or as a substitution for coconut flour and this microcrystalline cellulose powder I already had.

My daily bamboo flour intake is approximately 1-2grams.
Ever since starting I noticed that my breasts felt very tender, sometimes downright painful.
I had the suspicion this was bc of the bamboo flour, so yesterday I decided to test this theory and took no bamboo flour. The tenderness immediately was noticeably lower.....and this morning when I got up to pee, I noticed that my period started......after having been absent for 2+ years!

I imagine a possible hormonal shift might've slowly happened over the past year,due to various daily small incorporations, but the actual bleeding started since the incorporation of bamboo flour.


On a sidenote, I'm not sure if the flour is low or free of oxalates, bc I do experience some cloudy urine after eating. (so I don't know what would happen in an oxalate sensitive person, who'd eat 5-15 grams of it,per commonly advocated fiber supplemental intake)

Fascinating


What bowel (meaning stool) changes did you notice if any?

What overall digestive changes did you note if any?

 

[Bluebell]

Interesting. I know bamboo as a plant has silica in it. Don't know if the silica makes it into the flour. Silica can cause detox e.g. of aluminium but of other things too, and is known for strengthening bladder/urinary system. Could be related.

 

[Dutchie]

So my very unscientific hypothesis is that the flour absorbed a lot of bile and that bile had a lot of estrogen in it, and that this resulted in restoring the effects of progesterone opposing estrogen. It may actually be a Good Thing. Not really sure about bamboo flour. This is the first I heard of it. I might try it now that you mentioned it.

Never thought of that, but would 1-2grams absorb that much? Also I thought it's soluble fiber which is used to absorb and carry out bile?...hence the popularity of eating beans in the low A community.

 

[Dutchie]

Fascinating


What bowel (meaning stool) changes did you notice if any?

What overall digestive changes did you note if any?

None....there were/are no stool and digestive changes compared to when I only used coconut flour&cellulose powder for insoluble fiber.

 

[Dutchie]

Interesting. I know bamboo as a plant has silica in it. Don't know if the silica makes it into the flour. Silica can cause detox e.g. of aluminium but of other things too, and is known for strengthening bladder/urinary system. Could be related.

I don't know either if the silica is (mostly) being processed out.
In regards to detox, I've been doing epsom soaks and a glass of liquid chlorophyll for months now.

 

[Ecureuil77]

I don't know either if the silica is (mostly) being processed out.
In regards to detox, I've been doing epsom soaks and a glass of liquid chlorophyll for months now.

A couple of weeks ago, I bought some bamboo flour (usually used in keto baking) as a source of insoluble fiber next to or as a substitution for coconut flour and this microcrystalline cellulose powder I already had.

My daily bamboo flour intake is approximately 1-2grams.
Ever since starting I noticed that my breasts felt very tender, sometimes downright painful.
I had the suspicion this was bc of the bamboo flour, so yesterday I decided to test this theory and took no bamboo flour. The tenderness immediately was noticeably lower.....and this morning when I got up to pee, I noticed that my period started......after having been absent for 2+ years!

I imagine a possible hormonal shift might've slowly happened over the past year,due to various daily small incorporations, but the actual bleeding started since the incorporation of bamboo flour.


On a sidenote, I'm not sure if the flour is low or free of oxalates, bc I do experience some cloudy urine after eating. (so I don't know what would happen in an oxalate sensitive person, who'd eat 5-15 grams of it,per commonly advocated fiber supplemental intake)

Hi,

As far as I know bamboo is extremely high in oxalates and that would be concentrated in the fibre. That would also apply to the bamboo shoots Dr. Peat recommends for insoluble fibre.

I tried it for constipation (didn't know about the oxalate content at the time) and a tiny amount (less than 1/2 teaspoon) caused the most terrible digestive reaction that lasted for hours. Extreme gas and inflammation of the intestine, almost instantly.
I usually have terrible digestive trouble, so I thought I would test it with my husband, who's got a bullet-proof digestive system. Well, he didn't fare any better and I was really sorry to have used him as a guinea pig.

So I wouldn't recommend it. I don't know whether it's the oxalates or something else, but this is an extremely inflammatory fibre that is probably best used for making cloth fabric.

I'm very intrigued about your hormonal reaction to it though. Did your period continue like a normal period?

 

[Dutchie]

As far as I know bamboo is extremely high in oxalates and that would be concentrated in the fibre. That would also apply to the bamboo shoots Dr. Peat recommends for insoluble fibre.

Exactly....it being so high in oxalates is why I hesitated trying it and keep its usage very low.
I'd contacted to ask the manufacturer if there were still oxalates in it. He said no, but in all honesty I question if he even knew what oxalates are since most doctors even have heard of it.

I'm very intrigued about your hormonal reaction to it though. Did your period continue like a normal period?

The period only just started yesterday, so I guess I'll have to wait and see but so far it's continuing like normal.
I took some bamboo flour again yesterday,as I sometimes feel a craving for it over the other fibers, but man....by the end of the night my breast felt very tender again and the breast tissue also feels harder/firmer and looks slightly swollen again.

 

[Dutchie]

After several days, it seems that the bamboo fiber has some kind of a super estrogenic effect on me unlike any other food/supplement I've had, which would be the opposite of Ray's theory...

After 2 days of painfully swollen breasts and my bowelmovement becoming more sluggish, I decided yesterday to not have any bamboo flour with my food.
In the evening my painful breasts had decreased to mildly tender and my menstrual bloodflow also drastically lowered.
This morning (the 3rd day of supposed menses),when I got up, the breast tenderness was gone and hardly any bloodloss.

 

[Peatful]

After several days, it seems that the bamboo fiber has some kind of a super estrogenic effect on me unlike any other food/supplement I've had, which would be the opposite of Ray's theory...

After 2 days of painfully swollen breasts and my bowelmovement becoming more sluggish, I decided yesterday to not have any bamboo flour with my food.
In the evening my painful breasts had decreased to mildly tender and my menstrual bloodflow also drastically lowered.
This morning (the 3rd day of supposed menses),when I got up, the breast tenderness was gone and hardly any bloodloss.

It was too hard to digest
A giant endotoxin promoter
Hence the questions regarding your stool and digestion

It is in alignment with Ray


Thank you for the update

 

[Dutchie]

It was too hard to digest
A giant endotoxin promoter
Hence the questions regarding your stool and digestion

It is in alignment with Ray


Thank you for the update

I don't think it has anything to do with digestion, bc there was no change in stool consistency whatsoever.
And...it doesn't make any sense to me that coconut flour or even microcrystalline cellulose/cellulose powder would be less hard to digest.
The slowly increasing sluggish BM is bc of the hormonal shift (estrogenic )the bamboo caused, bc I experienced the same sluggishness years prior.

But you're free to believe as you will and only see how 'Ray is right' everytime, all the time.

 

[Peatful]

I don't think it has anything to do with digestion, bc there was no change in stool consistency whatsoever.
And...it doesn't make any sense to me that coconut flour or even microcrystalline cellulose/cellulose powder would be less hard to digest.
The slowly increasing sluggish BM is bc of the hormonal shift (estrogenic )the bamboo caused, bc I experienced the same sluggishness years prior.

But you're free to believe as you will and only see how 'Ray is right' everytime, all the time.

Thx


Look at why he recommends the carrot salad
It’s not the nutrients from the carrots so to speak
But the action of the carrots properties on said endotoxin and subsequent estrogen

 

[Dutchie]

Thx


Look at why he recommends the carrot salad
It’s not the nutrients from the carrots so to speak
But the action of the carrots properties on said endotoxin and subsequent estrogen

Yeah,the fiber of the carrot,as the ones in bamboo and mushrooms, supposedly bind and take out estrogen out of the gut.
Carrot and mushrooms never had a beneficial noticeable effect for me, but bamboo for some reasons creates estrogenic effects and it's not bc it's too hard to digest and creating endotoxins.
I've dealt enough with gut issues and endotoxins to recognize that these are not the same symptoms.

 

[Dutchie]

It turns out bamboo shoots are high in phytoestrogens.
I think the phytoestrogens caused me these super-estrogenic symptoms.

It's been about a week since I've had the bamboo for the last time. Thankfully my breasts aren't tender anymore, but I still have issues at times (which had slowly gotten better the time prior to starting the bamboo and my onset period).

 

[ecstatichamster]

@Dutchie

It turns out bamboo shoots are high in phytoestrogens.
I think the phytoestrogens caused me these super-estrogenic symptoms.

It's been about a week since I've had the bamboo for the last time. Thankfully my breasts aren't tender anymore, but I still have issues at times (which had slowly gotten better the time prior to starting the bamboo and my onset period).

Let me say THANK YOU for following up and letting us know. I so appreciate it. You have no idea how many people you help with this sort of closure. Even years from now.

 

[Dutchie]

@Dutchie


Let me say THANK YOU for following up and letting us know. I so appreciate it. You have no idea how many people you help with this sort of closure. Even years from now.

You're welcome
Often times I don't have much to contribute here, so I'm glad I can give something back in return of the many valuable knowledge tidbits I've found here over the years.

 

[Dutchie]

Since I've stopped the bamboo flour a (supposed) new cycle has started and I'm back to having no period again. (nothing else has changed).
Seems like I can't win...