Alopecia Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Alopecia, including details on hair loss, baldness, treatment, causes, prevention.

Premature graying, balding, and low bone mineral density in older women and men: the Rancho Bernardo study.

Morton DJ, Kritz-Silverstein D, Riley DJ, Barrett-Connor EL, Wingard DL

Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0622, USA. dmorton@ucsd.edu.

OBJECTIVE: The authors report the association of balding or graying with BMD in older adults. METHOD: BMD was measured at the spine, hip, and total body in 1,207 participants. Of these, 508 women and 380 men responded to a 1986 survey about balding patterns; in 1994, all participants answered questions about graying. RESULTS: Among men, 10.7% reported graying, and 51.1%, balding; 9.9% of women reported graying, and 9.5%, balding. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, calcium supplements, diuretics, glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone, and estrogen. CONCLUSION: Graying was not significantly associated with BMD in either group. Balding men averaged 5% lower total body BMD (p </= 0.05), and balding women had ~24% higher mean hip BMD (p </= 0.05). Graying and balding women reported a higher proportion of current estrogen use; balding women reported more use of glucocorticosteroids. Balding women using estrogen may explain the higher BMD.

Published 6 April 2007 in J Aging Health, 19(2): 275-85.
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