Hair Growth Signal Dictated By Fat Cells 146
RogerRoast writes "According to an article published in the journal Cell, molecular signals from fat cell (adipocyte) precursors under the skin are necessary to spur hair growth in mice. Yale researchers report in the paper that these cells produce molecules called PDGF (platelet derived growth factors), which are necessary to produce hair growth. The discovery of the source of signals that trigger hair growth may lead to new treatments for baldness. The trick is in getting adipocyte precursors under the skin to talk to stem cells at the base of the hair follicles."
Re:So this means... (Score:5, Informative)
IN MICE (Score:5, Informative)
This finding has been made IN MICE. Now, I'm not usually one to suggest that just because an effect is demonstrated in a lab animal that it won't apply to humans, but hey, saccharine only caused bladder cancer in lab rats because they have a different urinary tract, and they were retaining it in a way that would never happen in humans.
Now, the disclaimer being made, women have a larger dispersion of fat about the whole body, and while they have more vellus hair then men, vellus hair is hardly noticeable, and in fact, "balding" is typically a result of the hair on one's head turning into vellus hair. So, making humans grow more vellus hair isn't really going to solve anything.
Re:So this means... (Score:5, Informative)
That's a negative, Red Leader. While you get more adipocytes when you gain weight, you keep them after you lose it [wikipedia.org]. Get back on the treadmill!
Mod parent +Informative, because... ...shit, I start pulling my hair over this!!!
The horror: after you gained them, you need to stay on thread mill for years to get them back to the previous level (increase them exponentially, lose the linearly).
If excess weight is gained as an adult, fat cells increase in size about fourfold before dividing and increasing the absolute number of fat cells present.
...
Approximately 10% of fat cells are renewed annually at all adult ages and levels of body mass index.
Re:Idiocracy (Score:5, Informative)
"hair loss": 2.554 research papers
baldness: 14.919 research papers
"erectile dysfunction": 16.292 research papers
malaria: 59.503 research papers
HIV: 229.598 research papers
Just a rough approximation, but it seems there IS research on malaria and HIV going on after all...