Hair Loss, Insulin Resistance, and Heredity in Middle-Aged Women: A Population-Based Study
June 2003
in “
European journal of cardiovascular prevention & rehabilitation
”
female androgenic alopecia AGA insulin resistance Ludwig's scale abdominal obesity mean insulin concentration urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio hyperinsulinemia microalbuminuria female pattern hair loss insulin resistance Ludwig scale abdominal obesity insulin levels urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio high insulin levels microalbuminuria
TLDR Hair loss in middle-aged women is often linked to insulin resistance and a family history of hair loss, particularly from their fathers.
In 2003, a study was conducted in Finland to examine the prevalence of female androgenic alopecia (AGA) and its possible connections with insulin resistance and family history of alopecia. The study involved 324 women aged 63 years. The results showed that extensive hair loss (at least grade II or III on Ludwig's scale) was quite common, affecting 31.2% of the participants. Women with extensive hair loss had significantly higher insulin resistance associated parameters such as waist and neck circumferences, abdominal obesity, mean insulin concentration, and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio. The risk for extensive hair loss was significantly increased in women with the highest quintiles of neck or waist circumferences, hyperinsulinemia, microalbuminuria, and a paternal history of AGA. The study concluded that markers of insulin resistance significantly increased the risk for female AGA, and a paternal history of alopecia was more common in women with AGA.
