Grey hair ‘linked to higher risk of heart disease in men’

A new study has demonstrated that men with grey hair may be at a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Conducted by Cairo University, the research assessed 545 adult men who underwent angiography scans for suspected coronary artery disease, and were divided into subgroups according to the amount of grey or white in their hair.

A high hair whitening score was shown to be associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, independent of their chronological age or other established cardiovascular risk factors.

Given that patients with coronary artery disease generally demonstrated statistically significant higher hair whitening scores and higher coronary artery calcification than those without coronary artery disease, it suggests the factors are somehow linked.

Dr Irini Samuel, a cardiologist at Cairo University, said: "Further research is needed, in coordination with dermatologists, to learn more about the causative genetic and possible avoidable environmental factors that determine hair whitening."

However, she noted that if this finding can be confirmed, then a standardised scoring system for evaluating hair greying could be used as a predictor for coronary artery disease in future.

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