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Baldness Gene Discovered — 1 In 7 Men "At Risk"
Posted by
timothy
on Sun Oct 12, 2008 03:30 PM
from the see-wikipedia-on-caucasian_race dept.
from the see-wikipedia-on-caucasian_race dept.
FiReaNGeL writes "Researchers conducted a genome-wide association study of 1,125 Caucasian men who had been assessed for male pattern baldness. They found two previously unknown genetic variants on chromosome 20 that substantially increased the risk of male pattern baldness. They then confirmed these findings in an additional 1,650 Caucasian men. 'If you have both the risk variants we discovered on chromosome 20 and the unrelated known variant on the X chromosome, your risk of becoming bald increases sevenfold. What's startling is that one in seven men have both of those risk variants.'" So maybe gene therapy will finally have a real purpose.
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Badness? (Score:5, Funny)
I hope I'm not the only one misreading the title as "Badness gene found".
Re:Badness? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Lets not forget Chromosome 21 (Score:3, Insightful)
We could use some of that gene therapy on the 21st chromosome as well. In fact, I'd rather see work there. Though it wouldn't likely be as profitable...
Re:Lets not forget Chromosome 21 (Score:5, Insightful)
Assuming you are talking about Down syndrome (since an Alzheimer's treatment would be stupendously profitable), that doesn't even make any sense: it's "trisomy 21", a duplication of the chromosome, and completely unrelated to gene therapy.
All in all, a bit of a stretch, just to get in knee-jerk dig at the pharmaceutical industry, wouldn't you say?
Parent
missing the opportunity here... (Score:4, Funny)
With a bald pate, you'd have a better platform to mount a black silicon solar cap to power your wireless cranial Internet connection. C'mon, geeks, see the possibilites here! When life hands you shit, make shit sandwiches!
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
"With a bald pate, you'd have a better platform to mount a black silicon solar cap to power your wireless cranial Internet connection. C'mon, geeks, see the possibilites here! When life hands you shit, make shit sandwiches!"
Such a cap would be incompatible with my tinfoil hat.
As for the sandwich thing, it goes:
"Life is a shit sandwich. The more bread you have the less shit you gotta taste."
1 in 7 at risk? (Score:4, Interesting)
My understanding (and my observation, for that matter) is that roughly 50% of men end up going bald. So how is it news that 1 in 7 men have both of these traits?
BTW, here's a bonus hint to help you find those young guys that are already going bald - look for baseball caps being worn backward. Although a completely shaved head (on a white guy, anyway) is a dead giveaway as well, and gaining in popularity as an alternative to the baseball cap.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Your two dead giveaways fail in the area I live in. There are a lot of backwards baseball caps worn by young guys, and more than a few shaved heads, even on white guys. I shaved my head last winter so that I could wear a stocking cap and not have to deal with not being presentable after I took it off. Trying to decide on if a person is balding based on a style choice seems a little bit of a stretch.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Although a completely shaved head (on a white guy, anyway) is a dead giveaway as well, and gaining in popularity as an alternative to the baseball cap.
I can't understand why you would pick on that? It's a perfectly reasonable choice, not the result of over-played vanity.
There's only two options for guys who are going bald: some hair or no hair. And since 'some hair' tends to result in a comedy hairstyle which is unattractive to look at, and no hair is both distinguished and masculine, who the fuck wouldn't choose to do the latter?
The actual number is much lower than that... (Score:3, Interesting)
It's actually closer to 27% or so for "premature" baldness... that is, guys who aren't 60 years old with thinning hair. Not that it's definitive, but here's the Wiki page on the topic.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baldness [wikipedia.org]
First paragraph gives you the numbers.
Baldness is often cited in psych studies as one of those weird cultural perception items that people accept as very normal but which is actually more uncommon than you think.
Next time your in a public environment look around and do a count of the 20-50
So? (Score:3, Insightful)
About 20 years ago, I could see that I was going to go bald like my dad did, and I decided to just live with it. No drugs, plugs, or rugs.
-jcr
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
About 20 years ago, I could see that I was going to go bald like my dad did, and I decided to just live with it. No drugs, plugs, or rugs.
-jcr
That really is the only dignified way to go. Nothing spells out the word pathetic as clearly as trying to conceal your baldness with a toupee or a comb over.
Women are listening (Score:5, Funny)
First they find the monogomy gene and then they find the baldness gene. How much longer before women insist on genetic pre-screening before they put out?
Stop this madness (Score:4, Funny)
we all know what will happen [imdb.com] if we let our scientists focus on hair-loss
as my barber always said (Score:5, Funny)
I am almost bald (Score:4, Insightful)
and I say it is a waste of money. I d not care that I am bald. I do not care if others are bald. I used to have a lot of hair. Now I don't. Started pretty you to get a higher and higher implant. I would not care if I would loose the rest or if it stays like I have it now. It only becomes an issue if you make it an issue.
To me people who are doing comb overs, buy wigs, hairtonic, have implants and what not because they are bald are wasting their time and money. People doing studies on it should be trying to figure out not how to get hair back, but how to let people accept that they and others are bald. That would be like having a cure, instead of taking away the symptoms.
(Obviously if you have a bad scars and such, this might be somewhat different, but I am talking about standard baldness)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
This discussion reminds me of a bald friend of mine.
He used to get all the weirdo baldness "Cures" around when he was younger(Mostly in jest).
The funniest one he got, was a sink plunger/unblocker, with a tube of ointment. He was supposed to rub the cream in then use the plunger on his head to pull the hair up......
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Two things. Firstly, I'll work under the assumption that you are male. Secondly, while most people will agree with your second statement when the others are men, there is a question as to what they will think about bald women.
But you are indeed correct. Baldness for men, while it may be initially discomforting, is perfectly acceptable in our society. It is even perfectly acceptable for a man who discovers he is going bald to shave his head comple
Work only partially complete! (Score:4, Funny)
They need to find the genes that cause bald men to spend hundreds or even thousands on a toupee that looks like a dyed dead rat while insisting that it looks real and that people can't tell.
Why we go bald (Score:5, Funny)
It's nature's way of telling a man to hurry up and settle down with a woman instead of being a playboy all his life. If you're still acting the playboy while your hairline is receding, the pressure's on to find a mate that you want to raise kids with. Hence, the baldness gene remains in the gene pool. That's my theory anyway.
(No funny mods please, I'm being serious.)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Modern advertising is what made baldness "bad". It didn't used to matter much. Thus, your "reminder" theory is suspect.
While it's great to accept how you look... (Score:4, Insightful)
what's wrong with being able to have more control over it? A lot of people here have made the case that we should concentrate on accepting baldness instead of changing it. But is that so different than accepting beards instead of developing a shaver?
Whether it's a matter of personal taste, societal standards, or inherent genetic cues - where is the downside to people having more control over how they appear visually to themselves and others?
Yes, it's possible to go too far with this as it is with anything. Spending $300,000.00 on an outfit instead of just dressing nicely, devoting your life to the gym, or jumping into not-ready-for-prime-time plastic surgery techniques (ex: Micheal Jackson). But just because you *can* go overboard with something, doesn't mean that's your only choice.
Frankly, where technology sits right now I think we'd be better off having stayed with powdered wigs for the time being. You get any hair style you want, and everyone does it so there's no out-cast factor. But we should be working towards having the level of genetic control over our hair that people want. Both in terms on more on our heads, and less pretty much everywhere else. There's a reason that the classic Greek statues bore zero resemblance hair-wise to either Dr. Katz or that fat guy from the Borat movie.
Re:cool (Score:5, Funny)
Mom?
Parent
Obligatory: (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course, I'd argue that you're never sure where science is going to go, so pursuing different avenues is important, even if it seems a little less useful or even vain. In this case, I could foresee a situation where finding a solution to a rather simple problem, baldness, could help develop methods that would eventually be useful for dealing with cancer and Alzheimer's, which I can only imagine would be more complex to deal with. Also, you can't forget that its not like the entire community focuses on one topic at a time. Parallel research in separate but related areas tend to feedback off of each other; having too many people working on the same thing can at times only slow it down, since so much time is wasted either reinventing the wheel multiple times, or trying to keep things organized.
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:5, Insightful)
So having isolated out an important gene, and hopefully setting up a test for it, the next bit of research can be into finding out what else it is associated with. Should all vice-presidents be expected to carry it?
On the other hand, the baldest guy I know (for his age) is mild mannered, intelligent, strong in opinions but polite, and great to work with. So all this testosterone theorizing may be so much crap. It may be associated with testosterone tolerance. Now that is worth researching.
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:5, Interesting)
Also balding and testosterone levels are linked so this research could also effect that which has a greater impact on men's health so while it's very possible this came about out of shallowness in men the end result could mean much more.
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:4, Interesting)
As a man "cursed" with male pattern baldness, I'll say here that going bald had a significant effect on my social standing, but not in the way you'd expect. Before, I had a thick mop of hair that would never comb right. After I started balding, I started shaving my head every morning. The general consensus among my acquaintances is that I look better now than I did before I was balding. It helps tremendously, of course, that Smallville is as popular a TV show as it is these days.
Men, do not fear the razor. The Gillete Mach 3 is your friend.
Parent
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:4, Insightful)
How can it be shallow if (as most people would agree) a woman going bald is much more traumatic? Nobody tells her to "just get over it".
Either sexism is OK, or the things that people call "shallow" really aren't. You can't have it both ways.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Just because I doubt other people will be afraid/unwilling to present the "shallow" point of view: What's wrong with wanting to look attractive? It's easy to condemn people for being superficial when you're looking pretty good, but not everyone is so lucky.
Forgetting the health ramifications, just try getting a job when you've lost some of your front teeth. Try going on a date after losing an ear in an accident. There are people who have skin conditions, body odors, and various other problems that you c
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Follow the money (Score:4, Insightful)
Because baldness research and treatment is a multi-million (if not billion) dollar industry. It's sort of like asking "who would market Viagra?" that flashes the big *DUH* factor.
Face it. Anything sex related and superficial is a huge money maker. Investors would be retarded not to tap into these markets.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, Viagra was developed as a result of heart research. Ever notice that the ads say "don't take Viagra if you're taking nitrates for blood pressure?"
Now, it's definitely being used for sex, not cardiac therapy, but the development was for much more noble aims. Further, money (profit) earned by sales of Viagra helps to fund future research into other drugs.
As you say, investors would be foolish not to take advantage of the market for sex; the benefit goes beyond shareholders' pocketbooks, though.
Re:Why on earth,,, (Score:4, Insightful)
Can't they focus the research on something more important than baldness?
Because it's not a simple matter of reaching a certain quantity of "man-months" applied to (for example) cure cancer. Our level of technological advancement simply isn't to the point where a Mongol Hordes approach is going to be effective. In most cases, we don't even know what we need to learn before we figure out which way to look for a cure for (x). Who knows, perhaps a technique for combating baldness may hold the key to curing diabetes.
The classic answer to all this is, "it takes 9 months to make a baby no matter how many women you assign to the task"
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You are probably trolling, but I'll bite.
Of course baldness is a disease. A minor one at first sight, but it can lower people's self-esteem and cause severe psychological diseases, such as depression.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
You are probably trolling, but I'll bite.
Of course baldness is a disease. A minor one at first sight, but it can lower people's self-esteem and cause severe psychological diseases, such as depression.
Depression is not caused by baldness.
Especially in this day and age in which baldness (embraced baldness, not spooge-combover) is becoming associated in popular culture with power.
As someone with depression, i'll tell you that minor physical imperfections do not cause or contribute to this problem.
Depression is an emotional reaction to sweeping, systemic problems in our society.
Andromeda had it right: depression is a signal to a person to abandon a futile task. If, however, society as a whole represents fu
Re:Is baldness a disease? (Score:5, Insightful)
As someone with depression, i'll tell you that minor physical imperfections do not cause or contribute to this problem.
Depression is an emotional reaction to sweeping, systemic problems in our society.
Have you also been diagnosed with egotism?
You've literally written off the entire spectrum of depressions in favor of your own limited definition.
Does losing a spouse/pet/job qualify as "an emotional reaction to sweeping, systemic problems in our society"? Because people get clinically depressed for those and millions of other much more trivial reasons. I could list another 50 examples, but I'm not sure it would change your self-centered world view.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
baldness does contribute to depression - ask any baldie, or old man. (as thinning hair is associated with disappearing youth and all that entails in today's society) but they usually get used to it, and then they're fine.
Patrick Stewart (famously) said that he went bald early on, and hated it, really had a hard time accepting it. He said that no-one should become depressed by it, just accept it and get on with life and he wishes he hadn't spent so much time worrying over it. I guess its easy to say that in
Re:Is baldness a disease? (Score:5, Insightful)
Of course baldness is a disease. A minor one at first sight, but it can lower people's self-esteem and cause severe psychological diseases, such as depression.
Not true. It does increase my self-esteem, knowing that my baldness is due to high testosterone. And I believe that bald people are more active in sex than others. Anyone losing their self-esteem due to baldness, just realize that you are more 'male' than non-bald others and cheer up.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I don't think he was a troll; I thought it was a very interesting point. And I think that "lower self esteem" can unfortunately be correlated with skin color and sexuality as well, so your argument doesn't hold up. Just because society looks down on something doesn't make it a disease.
Really, why do you say baldness a disease? It's just a change in the body's self regulation over time. Balding does not apparently have a significant negative effect from an evolutionary standpoint or it wouldn't be so com
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Not many people change color with age.
Those that do are real weirdos - look at MJ.
For those who may not realize it I will point out that this is a Flame. Yes you are correct that people who are on the periphery of a bell curve could be classified as "real weirdos". It's unfortunate but the only real method that I'm aware of to treat Vitiligo [wikipedia.org] is with shoe polish. And yes you are also correct in stating that "Not many people change color with age."; it's only about 1 to 2 percent of the population. In hindsight it's not too surprising that Michael Jackson often wore gloves because the symp
Re:Is baldness a disease? (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
> This is un-American! This is going to kill jobs, because wig makers will go out of business!
Good riddance. Have you *seen* some of the atrocities that these guys have perpetrated on the heads of American men..?
Bankruptcy is too good for them!
Re:1,125 Caucasian Men Studied.... (Score:4, Funny)
+1 Appropriate sig.
Parent
Re:Very Important Research Topic (Score:5, Funny)
Since Captain Picard is bald in the 23rd century it appears this idea went nowhere.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Wikipedia tells me that "hair is a keratinised protein filament". Thus, if you're significantly cutting back on protein due to eating a vegetarian diet and you're not making up the difference through non-animal protein sources then your hair will likely suffer. However, I would wager that you would need to be predisposed to baldness and the lack of protein exacerbates the symptoms rather than causes them.
Re: Your poem (Score:3, Funny)
Look if you are starting to go bald you had might as well
get used to it because no matter what you
eat or do your hair is as good as gone.
You will not mind being bald anyhow it makes
life much simpler. I have my head shaved to the
skin every month or two. No need for shampoo
conditioner and all that crap just rub a bar
of soap across like the rest of your body
an you are good to go.
I'm trying to figure out your poem. There doesn't appear to be any consistent rhythm, nor do the words for which you chose to end each line rhyme or even come close to rhyming. There's no significant use of metaphor, imagery, and so on. Can you help?