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23 March 2010

The bald truth about hair loss

Research published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology suggests that hair loss in men may reduce their risk of prostate cancer.

Researchers in the USA studied nearly 2,000 men aged between 35 and 74. The study was population-based and case-controlled. This is where a group of people with a certain disease is compared with a control group of people who do not have the disease. The two groups of people are matched to try to get similar people in each group.

The aim of this study was to find out if hair loss in men was linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer.

The men were divided into two groups: those who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and those who had not. They were asked questions about their medical conditions, lifestyle and prostate screening in the previous five years. The participants were shown drawings of men with little or no hair loss, loss at forehead only, or loss at top of head and forehead. Both groups were asked to describe their hair loss at age 30. The group who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer were also asked about their hair loss one year before they were diagnosed. The other group were asked about their hair loss at a randomly assigned date that matched those diagnosed with prostate cancer.

This study does not prove that being bald at 30 is good for men's health.

Dr Annabel Bentley, Assistant Medical Director, Bupa

The researchers reported that men who had significant hair loss at age 30 had nearly a 30 percent reduced risk of prostate cancer compared with those who had no hair loss. When the researchers looked at only men over 60, there was nearly a 40 percent reduction in the risk of prostate cancer in men who had significant hair loss at age 30.

The researchers concluded that hair loss in early age is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. They suggested that hair loss could be used to identify those men who are risk of prostate cancer.

Commenting on the research, Dr Annabel Bentley, Assistant Medical Director for Bupa, said: "This study does not prove that being bald at 30 is good for men's health. The study was done retrospectively, which meant that men had to remember what had happened to their hair up to 40 years ago. Research based on long-term memories is prone to bias and is not strong evidence. Further research, such as a prospective study (looking forward) or a systematic review (looking at all the high-quality research to date) would give better evidence."

Key facts
  • The prostate is a gland that produces the liquid part of semen. It is about the size of a walnut and lies at the base of your bladder.
  • Each year about 35,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK, making it the most common cancer in men.
  • Nearly seven out of 10 prostate cancers are diagnosed in men over 70.
  • Symptoms of prostate cancer include:
    - difficulty in starting to pass urine
    - a weak, sometimes intermittent flow of urine
    - dribbling of urine before and after urinating
    - a frequent or urgent need to pass urine
    - pain when passing urine
    - rarely, blood in the urine
    - erectile dysfunction
  • If you have any of these symptoms, it is important that you visit your doctor for advice. If prostate cancer is found early, it can often be cured.

Related topics

Read the study

Wright JL, Page ST, Lin DW et al. Male pattern baldness and prostate cancer risk in a population-based case-control study. Cancer Epidemiology 2010. doi:10.1016/j.canep.2010.02.003

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