- Researchers say the hair loss drug finasteride may also help cut down risk of heart disease.
- They say it lowers the risk by helping to reduce cholesterol levels.
- Experts note that the potential side effects of the drug treatment make more research necessary.
A drug that puts more hair on one’s head may also make for a stronger heart.
A new study published in the Journal of Lipid Research states that the hair loss drug finasteride, also known by brand names Propecia or Proscar, may also reduce cholesterol and lower a person’s chance at developing heart disease.
The study looked at men participating in the
Finasteride is typically taken to treat male baldness and benign prostatic hyperplasia, so women were excluded from the analyses. Men with prostate inflammation and infection as well as having been diagnosed or self-reported with prostate cancer were also excluded from the study.
Only 10 of the 165 men in the survey taking finasteride were less than 50 years old, so the researchers only looked at men older than 50.
The researchers from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign also looked at the effects of finasteride on male mice.
Specifically, the researchers looked at the role of finasteride on atherosclerosis using low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor-deficient mice. Atherosclerosis is a main underlying factor responsible for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.
The research team fed some of the mice a Western diet containing increasing doses of finasteride (10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg of diet) for 12 weeks. The other mice received the same diet without finasteride.
In mice, researchers reported that those taking finasteride experienced reduced cholesterol, delayed progression of artery-narrowing atherosclerosis, and lessened liver inflammation. Meanwhile, men taking finasteride had lower levels of total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol.
Finasteride is also taken to…
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