How your hair loss could indicate risk of 3 deadly diseases – are you at risk?

YOUR hair, or lack of it, can give a number of clues about your health. Hair loss is extremely common and has dozens of potential causes, from stress to vitamin deficiency – and now, research suggests it may indicate your risk of serious diseases. Scientists have observed that hair loss may be associated with an increased risk of several disease Credit: Getty They noticed that baldness in men was consistently appearing alongside health conditions unrelated to the scalp Credit: Getty But these health conditions have nothing to do with the scalp. From heart disease to an increased risk of prostate cancer, researchers have identified links between male balding and three potentially deadly diseases. Sign up for the Health newsletter Thank you! A 2013 analysis published in BMJ Open explored six studies with a total of 37,000 men and found that hair loss at the crown – the area at the top of your skull – was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease. But interestingly, a receding hairline at the front was not associated with this raised risk. The study also reviewed the severity of men’s balding, finding that men with mild balding had around an 18 per cent higher risk of coronary heart disease while moderate balding raised the risk to 36 per cent. For those with severe balding, they had a 48 per cent increased risk of coronary heart disease, scientists found. This does not mean that a man who is balding will get a potentially deadly heart condition. It suggests that the two may be linked to each other, for reasons which the experts can only theorise. Coronary heart disease is a major cause of death in the UK and in those with the condition, their heart’s blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary artery. Most read in Health The researchers suggest that perhaps, balding is an outward symptom of changes to blood vessels. With reduced blood flow and delivery of nutrients to the hair follicles, it may affect hair growth. Following on from the 2013 analysis, epidemiologist Dr Guy Eslick wanted to take the research further, so his team identified 31 studies to review. The resulting analysis, which was published in 2014, gathered more than 29,000 people with hair loss – mostly male pattern baldness. It again found that hair loss was associated with a raised risk of coronary heart disease. Where exactly men were balding also impacted their increased risk of certain diseases Credit: Getty Hair loss could indicate 3 major health issues HAIR loss is something we’re all fearful of. Whether it’s a hairline receding, a bald patch forming or hair thinning out, it’s not something any of us wish for. The issue, however, is extremely common and has generally just been seen as a cosmetic, rather than medical issue. That is, until now. Analysis of tens of thousands of people – mostly men – has found that hair loss is associated with a raised risk of: Coronary heart disease Insulin resistance Aggressive prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement Male pattern baldness was also associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome, which puts you at risk of type 2 diabetes, among other things. But it also observed that baldness, particularly with men, was associated with insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is the name for a group of health problems that put you at risk of type 2 diabetes or conditions that affect your heart or blood vessels, according to the NHS. Dr Eslick told BBC Science Focus that being bald may “predispose you to increased risks of coronary heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and prediabetes”. Meanwhile, a 2026 review looking at 20 studies found a link between male hair loss and the risk of aggressive prostate cancer and benign prostate enlargement. Again, this association was strongest for men with balding at the crown and back of the head. Another study, however, only found a weak association between male-pattern baldness and a few heart disease risk factors. So, it seems that the science on this link between baldness and increased risk of certain diseases is somewhat mixed. Balding is something that is often genetic. It means you can’t do much about it. But there are dozens of lifestyle and diet risk factors that can be adjusted to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, like heart disease. According to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), up to 80 per cent of men have experienced hair loss at some point in their life. And male pattern balding, known medically as androgenic alopecia, is a very common type of hair loss that can affect men of any age. It is caused by a combination of genetic and hormonal factors and once the hair is lost, it cannot grow back. A hormone called dihydrotestosterone (DHT) causes a change in the hair follicles on the scalp, the British Association of Dermatologists explains. The hairs produced by these affected follicles then gradually become thinner and lighter in colour over time in a process called miniaturisation. Eventually, the follicles shrink completely, stopping hair from being produced. What is important to know about the DHT hormone is that it doesn’t just act on the hair follicles, it is wired into tissues all over the body. If you take this into account, it indicates that baldness isn’t causing heart disease, both are just symptoms of the same hormone changes. But if you’re still worried about your cardiovascular health, you can make some simple lifestyle changes like eating less saturated fat and getting more exercise. Comment now