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- Researchers say the hair loss drug finasteride may also help reduce the risk of heart disease.
- They say it lowers risk by helping lower cholesterol levels.
- Experts say the drug treatment’s potential side effects warrant further research.
Drugs that increase hair growth may also strengthen your heart.
New research published in lipid research journal The hair loss drug finasteride, also known by the brand names “Propecia” or “Proscar,” says it may also lower cholesterol and reduce the chance of developing heart disease.
This study looked at men attending this event.
Women were excluded from the analysis because finasteride is typically taken to treat hair loss and benign prostatic hyperplasia in men. Men with prostate inflammation or infection and men who had been diagnosed with or self-reported prostate cancer were also excluded from the study.
Of the 165 men taking finasteride in the study, only 10 were under the age of 50, so the researchers only looked at men over 50.
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also examined the effects of finasteride on male mice.
Specifically, the researchers investigated the role of finasteride on atherosclerosis using mice lacking the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. Atherosclerosis is the main underlying factor responsible for cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide.
The researchers fed some mice a Western diet with increasing doses of finasteride (10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg of feed) for 12 weeks. Other mice were fed the same diet without finasteride.
In mice, researchers reported that those taking finasteride experienced reduced cholesterol, slowed the progression of atherosclerosis, which narrows the arteries, and reduced inflammation in the liver. Meanwhile, men taking finasteride had lower levels of total and LDL cholesterol.
Finasteride is also used to treat men with large prostates. This drug works by blocking proteins in the hair follicles and prostate that activate testosterone.
The study authors wrote that finasteride was also recently used.
The researchers note that the study has limitations in that the study explains similarities between mice and humans regarding plasma cholesterol in response to finasteride, but at least in part may be due to interspecies differences in lipoprotein metabolism. Therefore, the results should be interpreted with caution, he said.
Additionally, of the approximately 4,800 survey respondents who met general health criteria for inclusion in the analysis, only 155 men reported using finasteride, a small sample. There was also no information on how long the men had been taking the drugs.
“It’s important to note that this is a significant finding,” said Dr. Rigved Tadwarkar, a consultant cardiologist at Providence St. John’s Health Center in California, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news “This study is interesting and suggests new possibilities for research,” he says, but he doesn’t think it’s groundbreaking.
“This provides reasonable evidence that finasteride may have beneficial effects on cholesterol and atherosclerosis,” Tadwarkar said. “However, if further research confirms and extends these findings, it could lead to new approaches in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, especially in individuals with certain risk factors.”
Tadwarkar added that the study had “some significant limitations.”
“Due to variations in metabolism and physiology, differences between mice and humans create uncertainty in directly extrapolating the results to the human population,” Tadwarkar said. “Studies of human populations rely on observational designs, making it difficult to establish clear causal relationships. The absence of a controlled intervention makes it difficult to conclusively attribute observed results to finasteride. It also limits your ability to do so.”
Professor Tadwalkar said the study lacked details such as finasteride dosage, duration of treatment and potential “confounding” variables, reducing the depth of the results.
“The mechanisms by which finasteride exerts its effects remain unclear, highlighting the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the drug’s impact on atherosclerosis and lipid profiles,” he said. .
“It’s important to know that this is the case,” said Dr. Samantha Lee, director of cardiac telemetry at Staten Island University Hospital in New York, who was not involved in the study. Today’s medical news She said she had never considered the idea that finasteride could be a drug with significant cardiac risks or benefits.
“I have a lot of patients taking this drug for prostate enlargement and hair loss, but it never really caught my eye as a potential cholesterol-lowering therapy,” Dr. Lee said. “Over the past decade, cardiology has made great strides in the fight against heart disease. Now that cardiologists have more effective drugs, the way we think about coronary artery disease has changed. .”
Lee said this study will help change the idea that doctors are not limited to treating plaques that block blood flow to the heart.
“We can focus on preventing atherosclerosis,” she said. “This study uses both mouse models and population data to demonstrate the cholesterol-lowering effects of finasteride. Finasteride is definitely another drug in our toolbox.”
Dr Nicky Burt, a heart failure and heart transplant cardiologist at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia, who was not involved in the study, said more research was needed.
“To understand whether finasteride is beneficial for cholesterol levels and plaque buildup in humans, we need to conduct randomized controlled trials of finasteride versus control when enrolling people in future studies. Deaf,” Burt said. Today’s medical news.
She said people who already have heart disease should discuss using finasteride with their cardiologist.
“Finasteride has strong interactions with heart medications that contain nitrates,” says Burt. “It also interacts with another class of heart drugs used for pulmonary hypertension.”
“Potential side effects of finasteride include sexual dysfunction, depression, infertility, breast swelling or tenderness, breast cancer, and rash. It should be avoided in patients with severe bladder or liver problems. ” she warned.
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