Associations of Omega-3 Fatty Acids With Male Pattern Hair Loss Improvement: A Prospective Cohort Study

This prospective cohort study involving 15,813 men from the UK Biobank, aged 40-70, investigated the association between omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and male pattern hair loss (MPHL) improvement. The study found that men in the middle quartiles (Q2, Q3) of baseline n-3 intake had a higher risk of non-improvement in MPHL compared to those in the lowest quartile (Q1), with odds ratios (OR) of 1.2 and 1.32, respectively. Similar results were observed for average n-3 intake and the n-3/n-6 ratio. No significant association was found for n-6 intake. The restricted cubic spline regression analysis indicated an inverted U-shaped curve. Stratified analysis by rs6152 genotype showed a similar trend. The study concludes that n-3 fatty acids may not be beneficial and could potentially be harmful for improving hair loss in middle-aged or elderly men, highlighting the need for further exploration of the role and mechanism of n-3 in MPHL.