If you’re going bald, especially on the top of your head, you’re more at risk of developing coronary artery disease. This is according to a study published in the BMJ Open, which discovered bald men’s heart health is 70% more at risk of the disease.
Based on 850 studies undertaken from between 1950 and 2012 which all addressed some aspect of male pattern baldness and coronary heart disease, the researchers from the University Of Tokyo, Japan, found six involving data from around 40,000 men, which proved to be useful enough to be included in analysis. The first three studies involved an 11-year assessment of the men, revealing that men who had lost most of their hair were 32% more likely to develop heart disease than those who had no hair loss.
When the researchers looked at the second half of the studies, balding men were shown to be 70% more likely to develop coronary heart disease. Interestingly, there was a correlation between how young the men were when they were bald, and how much their wellbeing was at risk of heart disease. Younger balding men were more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than men who went bald later on in life.
There was also a link between balding severity and heart wellness risk. At any age, if a man was more severely bald, he was more at risk of cardiovascular disease. Men with both frontal baldness (a receding hairline) and crown-top baldness were 69% more likely to have heart disease than men with a full head of hair, whilst crown-top baldness-only individuals were 52% more likely to be diagnosed with heart problems.
So why does this happen? Losing hair has been linked to insulin resistance, chronic inflammation and testosterone sensitivity, all of which have a part to play in the development of heart disease. The authors noted, ‘Cardiovascular risk factors should be reviewed carefully in men with vertex [crown] baldness, especially younger men [who should] probably be encouraged to improve their cardiovascular risk profile.’ This means making lifestyle changes such as losing weight, exercising more, reducing saturated fat intake, eating sufficient omega-3 foods such as cold-water fish and olive oil, and quitting smoking.