Are You Male and Going Bald? STOP the Grains and Sugar!!

There exists a proven association between male-pattern baldness and serious cardiovascular events, but the mechanism of action is unknown.
Now, a new study has shown a strikingly increased risk of insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and insulin-resistance-associated disorders in men with early onset of male-pattern baldness (alopecia), supporting the theory that early male-pattern baldness could be a clinical marker of insulin resistance.

• Researchers performed a practice-based case-control study on 154 subjects (aged 19-50 years) with early-onset male-pattern baldness (onset prior to 35 years of age) and age-matched controls.
  
• Men were only selected whose hair loss was significant, using an accepted classification method.
  
• Information on diagnoses of chronic diseases and data on current medication, weight and height, fasting total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and blood glucose were collected.
  
• Blood insulin levels were measured.

Researchers looked at the following insulin-resistance-associated risk factors:

• Elevated lipids (HDL cholesterol <0.9 mmol/L, triglycerides > 1.7 mmol/L, or lipid-lowering medication)
  
• Abnormal glucose metabolism (fasting blood glucose > 6.7 mmol/L twice or antidiabetic medication)
  
• High body-mass index
  
• Elevated systolic blood pressure (> 160 mm Hg).

A "cluster" was considered to be present if at least three of the four variables were simultaneously positive.
The risks for the following were all found to be elevated for the alopecia group:

• Nearly 5 times more likely to have clustered risk factors
  
• Hyperinsulinemia risk was increased nearly 2-fold
  
• Moderate obesity was increased nearly 2-fold
  
• Severe obesity was increased nearly 150%.
  
• Use of cholesterol lowering medication was increased more than 4-fold
  
• Use of blood pressure or diabetic medication was more than double

Researchers maintain that there findings " ... raise the question whether insulin resistance could be a pathophysiological mechanism or promoting factor in early androgenetic alopecia, which could, in turn, be an early marker of insulin resistance."
In addition, they suggest that men with early-onset male-pattern baldness should be screened for insulin resistance and other cardiovascular disease risk factors.