Men who bald earlier in life than other men have a far lower risk of developing cancer.

That's the word from researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, who have concluded that men who go bald by age 30 are less likely to develop prostate cancer. Up to 30 percent of men will have some baldness by age 30, and about half will suffer significant hair loss by age 50.

What causes balding? When hair follicles become exposed to too much dihydrotestosterone (DHT), a chemical produced by the male hormone testosterone, they fall out. Men who have high levels of testosterone are more likely to lose their hair, especially if baldness runs in the family, reports the BBC News.

The study: Two thousand men between the ages of 40 and 47 were studied. Before the study began, half the men had suffered from prostate cancer. The researchers compared the rate of tumors in those who said their hair had thinned by age 30 with those who did not suffer any noticeable hair loss.

The results: Men who had started to develop bald spots on the top of their heads as well as receding hairlines by age 30 enjoyed a 29 percent to 45 percent reduction in the risk of prostate cancer.

"Clearly, the age at which a man begins to lose his hair is unfortunately not a risk factor for prostate cancer over which he has any control," Dr. Helen Rippon, head of research management at The Prostate Cancer Charity in Great Britain, told the BBC. "However, if these results are correct, they could be useful in providing us with a greater understanding of how testosterone behaves in the body and how it can affect different tissues."

Currently, those who develop prostate cancer are often given drugs to reduce testosterone levels because it is thought testosterone can accelerate the growth of some tumors once they develop. But if this study is correct, it means just the opposite: High levels of testosterone from a young age might protect against the disease.

The findings were published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology.

--From the Editors at Netscape

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