Premature Hair Whitening Is an Independent Predictor of Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Young and Middle-Aged Men

In 2013, a study involving 202 young and middle-aged men without cardiovascular disease history found that premature hair whitening is independently associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), a sign of atherosclerosis. The study showed that hair whitening correlated with traditional cardiovascular risk factors like age, hypertension, and bilirubin levels, but remained a significant predictor of CIMT after adjusting for these factors. This suggests that premature hair whitening could be a marker for identifying individuals at higher risk of cardiovascular disease. The study also noted a negative association between bilirubin levels and both hair whitening and CIMT, hinting at the protective properties of bilirubin. Despite its findings, the study recognized the limitation of potential selection bias and called for further research to explore the relationship between hair whitening and cardiovascular risk.