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Update Date: 2010/03/16 18:13 (Central News Agency, Taipei, March 16th)
Men under 30 fear seeing a bald scalp in the mirror the most. However, experts say that men suffering from hair loss, like Britain's Prince William, should not continue to worry about their receding hairlines.
According to a report by the UK's "Daily Mail," scientists have found that men who experience baldness at a young age have up to a 45% lower chance of developing prostate cancer later in life.
Although about half of men begin to face severe hair loss issues after the age of 50, a US research team discovered that men who start balding at a younger age have higher levels of testosterone in their bodies, reducing their risk of developing tumors.
Scientists studied 2,000 men aged between 40 and 47, half of whom had prostate cancer. Some of them recalled starting to lose hair at the age of 30, and the researchers compared the tumor rates of these individuals with those who had no hair loss issues.
They found that men who experienced hair loss—whether from the crown or a receding hairline—had a lower risk of developing cancer.
Hair loss is a concern for many young men. Surveys show that nearly half believe baldness makes them look older and less attractive, with three-quarters experiencing self-esteem issues.
This study, published in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology," may be controversial, as previous smaller-scale research suggested that hair loss increases cancer risk. Most cases of baldness are caused by hair follicles being exposed to excessive dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
DHT is a chemical derived from the male hormone testosterone. If there is too much DHT in the blood, hair follicles shrink, leading to thinner hair and shorter growth cycles.
Experts believe that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to experience hair loss, especially if baldness runs in the family.
Patients with prostate cancer are often prescribed drugs to lower testosterone levels because, once tumors develop, testosterone can accelerate their growth. However, the latest research suggests that exposure to high testosterone levels at a young age may actually reduce the risk of cancer.
Professor Jonathan Wright, a prostate cancer expert at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, said: "Initially, this finding was surprising. But we discovered that men who experienced early balding had a 29% to 45% lower relative risk of developing prostate cancer." (Translator: Central News Agency, Dai Yazhen)
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100316/ 5/ 225j6. html
Study: Early Male Baldness Linked to Lower Prostate Cancer Risk
Men under 30 fear seeing a bald scalp in the mirror the most. However, experts say that men suffering from hair loss, like Britain's Prince William, should not continue to worry about their receding hairlines.
According to a report by the UK's "Daily Mail," scientists have found that men who experience baldness at a young age have up to a 45% lower chance of developing prostate cancer later in life.
Although about half of men begin to face severe hair loss issues after the age of 50, a US research team discovered that men who start balding at a younger age have higher levels of testosterone in their bodies, reducing their risk of developing tumors.
Scientists studied 2,000 men aged between 40 and 47, half of whom had prostate cancer. Some of them recalled starting to lose hair at the age of 30, and the researchers compared the tumor rates of these individuals with those who had no hair loss issues.
They found that men who experienced hair loss—whether from the crown or a receding hairline—had a lower risk of developing cancer.
Hair loss is a concern for many young men. Surveys show that nearly half believe baldness makes them look older and less attractive, with three-quarters experiencing self-esteem issues.
This study, published in the journal "Cancer Epidemiology," may be controversial, as previous smaller-scale research suggested that hair loss increases cancer risk. Most cases of baldness are caused by hair follicles being exposed to excessive dihydrotestosterone (DHT).
DHT is a chemical derived from the male hormone testosterone. If there is too much DHT in the blood, hair follicles shrink, leading to thinner hair and shorter growth cycles.
Experts believe that men with higher testosterone levels are more likely to experience hair loss, especially if baldness runs in the family.
Patients with prostate cancer are often prescribed drugs to lower testosterone levels because, once tumors develop, testosterone can accelerate their growth. However, the latest research suggests that exposure to high testosterone levels at a young age may actually reduce the risk of cancer.
Professor Jonathan Wright, a prostate cancer expert at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, said: "Initially, this finding was surprising. But we discovered that men who experienced early balding had a 29% to 45% lower relative risk of developing prostate cancer." (Translator: Central News Agency, Dai Yazhen)
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 100316/ 5/ 225j6. html