title: Premature graying, balding, and low bone mineral density in older women and men: the Rancho Bernardo study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The authors report the association of balding or graying with BMD in older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  BMD was measured at the spine, hip, and total body in 1,207 participants. Of these, 508 women and 380 men responded to a 1986 survey about balding patterns; in 1994, all participants answered questions about graying.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among men, 10.7% reported graying, and 51.1%, balding; 9.9% of women reported graying, and 9.5%, balding. Models were adjusted for age, body mass index, alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, calcium supplements, diuretics, glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone, and estrogen.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Graying was not significantly associated with BMD in either group. Balding men averaged 5% lower total body BMD (p </= 0.05), and balding women had ~24% higher mean hip BMD (p </= 0.05). Graying and balding women reported a higher proportion of current estrogen use; balding women reported more use of glucocorticosteroids. Balding women using estrogen may explain the higher BMD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Division of Epidemiology, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0622, USA. dmorton@ucsd.edu.
authors.forename: Deborah J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kritz-Silverstein
authors.forename: Donna J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Riley
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Barrett-Connor
authors.forename: Deborah L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wingard
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D000505:Alopecia; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015519:Bone Density; D005260:Female; D006200:Hair Color; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D014481:United States