Pyrrole Disorder (Pyroluria) is NOT caused by the HPL compound in the urine!

One of the common misbeliefs or misunderstandings of Pyrrole Disorder (Pyroluria) is that it is a condition caused by pyrrole compounds in the urine which cause a deficiency of vitamin B6 and zinc. While this is what the Walsh Institute propose, the practitioners who follow these incorrect beliefs then just treat these 2 deficiencies in patients, but this is completely wrong.

I typically see at lest 6 nutrient deficiencies in patients with this condition, and up to 13 in some. This can be devastating to their health with this number of deficiencies causing a LOT of physical and mental health symptoms.

Many things about this condition made no sense to me years ago, and still don’t, but patients and even practitioners still have misunderstandings about this condition. This unfortunately leads to incomplete treatment plans, and poor treatment outcomes.

The alleged belief about urinary pyrroles causing this condition is completely wrong! The urinary pyrroles compound of HPL (which is what is checked in the “official” urine test for this condition) allegedly binds to zinc and B6 and carries them out of the body to cause a chronic deficiency in these 2 nutrients, and causing the many deficiency symptoms of this condition. But published studies have shown that this isn’t possible and doesn’t happen (Lambert et. al, 2023).

So why is vitamin B6 low in people with this condition?

​The level of urinary pyrroles or HPL is the END RESULT of specific root causes and factors, and other metabolic dysfunctions. Urine and the compounds in it are WASTE PRODUCTS being eliminated by the body. Zinc and vitamin B6 are found in foods and should have been absorbed into the body through the small intestine. If there is sufficient zinc and vitamin B6 in your diet, then these nutrients will be absorbed and used. There is no HPL in the digestive tract to bind to the zinc and B6 to prevent it being absorbed to cause these deficiencies! Excess or unneeded zinc and B6 and other nutrients will be eliminated from the body, but mainly through the digestive tract and faeces and not through the urine. But again there shouldn’t be an “excess” at all in someone with this condition as these nutrient levels are typically LOW!

Then there are the issues I have with the “official” recommendation to using the urine test as a diagnostic tool to confirm the condition. I have written about this in other articles on my website or Facebook group, as to why the urine test is useless and shouldn’t be done.

So why are people with Pyrrole Disorder (Pyroluria) low in zinc, vitamin B6 and other essential nutrients? Because of one or more of the following reasons:

1. Low intake in the diet - often due to poor appetite which is common in this condition
2. Nutrient deficiencies affecting stomach function – various nutrients are needed for optimal stomach function to digest foods and release their nutrients. This leads to many nutrient deficiencies. Unfortunately zinc is needed for optimal stomach function to make the stomach acid and enzymes
3. Stress – stress reduces stomach and digestive system functions, causing many nutrient deficiencies. Even if your diet is sufficient. Stress also causes increased use of zinc, the B-vitamins, and other nutrients, to make the neurotransmitters and stress hormones, leading to more deficiencies
4. Heavy metals – toxic heavy metals can either displace the nutritional minerals or push them out of your body to cause ongoing deficiencies.

Hence why Pyrrole Disorder is NOTHING to do with being caused by urinary pyrroles at all! Hence testing for pyrroles as HPL in the urine is absolutely useless and pointless! That’s why we need to test for what the nutrient deficiencies are in each person, so these can be rectified. And also test for other factors or causes such as low stomach function, low thyroid function, anaemia, heavy metals, the effects of stress, inflammation, oxidative damage, and more, which can be contributing to the symptoms and conditions.

For more information on this condition, I have a 4-hour recorded webinar which explains further the issues of the official explanation or belief of this condition, issues with testing and how this should actually be done, ALL of the nutrient deficiencies of this condition, common symptoms and co-morbidities, case studies, and more. This can be found on my website here.

Stay healthy!


References:

Lambert, B., Semmler, A., Beer, C. & Voisey, J. (2023). Pyrroles as a Potential Biomarker for Oxidative Stress Disorders. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 (3):2712. DOI:10.3390/ijms24032712