Mendelian Randomization Analysis of the Causal Relationship Between Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol, and Androgenic Alopecia

January 2026 in “ Medicine ”

MingShan Fu, PengYu Mai, Mingjing Zheng, WenChao Zhou, DongRui Zhao

androgenic alopecia low-density lipoprotein cholesterol high-density lipoprotein cholesterol LDL-C HDL-C Mendelian randomization AGA LDL HDL

TLDR Higher LDL cholesterol may increase the risk of hair loss, while HDL cholesterol does not.

The study used Mendelian randomization to investigate the causal relationship between lipid levels and androgenic alopecia (AGA), involving large datasets from European populations. It identified low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) as a significant risk factor for AGA, with each unit increase in LDL-C levels raising the risk by approximately 1.38 to 1.47 times. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) showed no significant effect on AGA. The findings were robust, with no evidence of heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy, suggesting that maintaining healthy LDL-C levels could potentially prevent AGA. Further research is needed to explore the biological mechanisms and other contributing factors.

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