This’ll put some hair on your…. heart?!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
Cholesterol. We know it. We fear it. The L-D-L form clogs blood vessels, and causes HEART DISEASE. But it has a partner in crime. Imbalances in the sex hormone testosterone can be a risk factor too. So… does that mean… male-pattern hair loss drugs could… reduce the chance of heart disease?
Patrick McQueen and team from the University of Illinois combed for answers. They gave the hair loss drug finasteride to mice that couldn’t regulate their blood cholesterol.
Results? Finasteride REDUCED the mice’ high blood cholesterol by FORTY PERCENT. It also limited damage caused by fatty buildup and ruptured blood vessels by FIFTY PERCENT. The researchers looked into public databases to compare their findings with HUMAN clinical data! They found that men taking finasteride ALSO showed LOWER cholesterol levels!
Huh. For delaying heart disease, this common hair loss drug could be a WIG victory!
Reference: McQueen P., Molina D., Pinos I., Krug S. et al. Finasteride delays atherosclerosis progression in mice and is associated with reduced plasma cholesterol in men. JLR 65 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlr.2024.100507