Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Baldness linked to increase risk of heart disease

Health experts advise men with a history of both early hair loss and CVD to be highly cautious.

Baldness linked to increase risk of heart disease

According to the NHS, Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects around seven million people in the UK. It is also one of the main causes of death in the nation.

Some of the common signs of a person’s risk for CVD include high levels of stress, high blood pressure, and diabetes. However, there may also be other warning signs, including a man’s hairline.


Health experts advise men with a history of both early hair loss and CVD to be highly cautious.

According to previous research, loss of hair may mean loss of blood circulation, with a strong connection between top rear head balding and CVD, the Mirror explains.

A previous study at the University of Tokyo states that a man’s hairline may be a sign that he could be at risk of heart disease.

The study included around 37,000 participants with an integrated analysis of multiple surveys.

Researchers found that those suffering from severe male pattern baldness had a 32 per cent higher risk for coronary heart disease compared to those men who did not suffer from male pattern baldness, also known as a loss of hair on the scalp in men.

Risk of alopecia

Researchers also discovered that there was an increased risk of coronary heart disease for those men suffering from androgenetic alopecia, a genetically predetermined disorder due to an extreme response to the sex hormones called androgens.

These hormones are responsible for male characteristics, although females also have these hormones but at lower levels.

The study also found that those men with the most severe cases of baldness had a 48 per cent increased risk of coronary heart disease.

The experts also noted that those men with a receding forehead hairline, together with alopecia had a huge 69 per cent increased risk of coronary heart disease.

The reasons for the increased risk of coronary heart disease in bald people according to Chen Hsin Hung, a traditional Chinese medicine physician at Taiwan’s Joyful HAN Chinese Medicine Clinic could be related to diabetes, insulin resistance, chronic inflammation, or male hormone sensitivity

However, for a more conclusive answer, more research would be required.

"Assessment of risk factors is critical in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease,” said Prof Marco Roffi, head of the Interventional Cardiology Unit at Geneva University Hospital.

He adds, "Classical risk factors, such as diabetes, family history of coronary disease, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, high cholesterol levels, and high blood pressure, are responsible for the vast majority of cardiovascular disease.

"It remains to be determined whether potential new risk factors, like the ones described, may improve cardiovascular risk assessment."

Some other factors for an increased risk of heart disease include the following:

  • Marital stress (stress in a marriage)
  • Sexual dysfunction (problems with sex)
  • Sleep apnea (serious sleep disorder)
  • High consumption of foods and beverages packed in hard plastic

Some of the other lifestyle habits that could help reduce hair loss according to Chen include getting adequate sleep, reducing stress in your life, quitting smoking, and getting enough exercise.

Regarding dietary tips, Chen advises cutting down on the consumption of alcohol, sodas, and sweets.

He also recommends eating more dark vegetables and protein-rich foods, as these foods help promote the growth of hair follicles.

More For You

Norman Tebbit
Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

What was the Tebbit Test and why was it controversial?

LORD NORMAN TEBBIT, the former cabinet minister who introduced the controversial “cricket test” to question the loyalty of migrants, has died at the age of 94. The test, later known as the “Tebbit Test,” suggested that immigrants who supported cricket teams from their countries of origin instead of England were not fully integrated into British society. His death was confirmed on Monday by his son, William, who asked for privacy for the family.

Tebbit first spoke about the test in 1990 as a Conservative MP. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It’s an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?”

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Essex ladybird invasion

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear

Dee-anne Markiewicz / SWNS

Swarms of ladybirds invade Essex coastline amid soaring temperatures

Highlights:

  • Ladybird swarms reported across Essex and Suffolk coastal towns
  • Hot weather likely driving the sudden surge in population
  • Sightings include Point Clear, Shoebury, Clacton and Felixstowe
  • Similar outbreaks occurred in 1976 during another hot UK summer

Sudden surge in ladybird numbers across the southeast

Millions of ladybirds have been spotted swarming towns and villages along the Essex coast, with similar sightings stretching into Suffolk. Residents have reported unusually high numbers of the red and black-spotted insects, particularly near coastal areas, with the recent hot weather believed to be a major contributing factor.

One of the largest gatherings was filmed on a beach at Point Clear, a village near St Osyth in Essex, where the insects could be seen piling on top of each other on driftwood and plants.

Keep ReadingShow less