Men Who Have Premature Gray Hair Or Baldness Are At A Much Greater Risk Of Heart Disease


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Are you one of those unlucky gentlemen who starting losing your hair before you even turned 30-years-old? As if some celestial being hasn’t cursed you enough with your unfortunate hair situation, science now says that you are also at a much greater risk of heart disease. Life is not fair.

A new scientific study from the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research Centre at Ahmedabad, India, compared 790 men with coronary artery disease under 40-years-old and 1,270 healthy men of the same age. Participants of the study were given scores based on levels of male-pattern baldness and hair whitening. They also underwent an electrocardiogram (ECG), echocardiography, blood tests, and coronary angiogram. Researchers discovered that the men with coronary artery disease were significantly more likely to suffer from early onset balding as well as have more gray hair compared to the healthy examinees.

The participants with male-pattern baldness had 5.6 times greater risk of coronary artery disease, while those with premature gray hair were at 5.3 times greater risk than the healthy men. The scary part is that gray hair and early baldness was a stronger predictor of heart disease than being overweight. The men in the study suffering from obesity were 4.1 times greater risk for coronary artery disease.

“The incidence of coronary artery disease in young men is increasing but cannot be explained by traditional risk factors,” said lead researcher Dr. Sachin Patil. “Premature greying and androgenic alopecia – or male-pattern baldness – correlate well with vascular age irrespective of chronological age and are plausible risk factors for coronary artery disease.”

Other predictors included diabetes, high blood pressure, central obesity, higher body mass index, dyslipidaemia, smoking, and a family history of premature coronary artery disease. It’s like your body is giving you a clear and visible warning sign that you are slowly withering away. As if you losing your hair or it turning gray wasn’t bad enough, your heart is also trying to kill you.

[Mirror]