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Report Claims Shaving Less Increases Risk of Stroke
Posted by Pile
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[Dubious Research]
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Shaving less than once a day could increase a man's risk of having a stroke by around 70%, researchers have found.
The link between needing to shave infrequently and stroke risk emerged from a 20-year study of over 2,000 men aged 45-59 in Caerphilly, south Wales. |
At the time the study began, in the late 70s, the prevailing trend was to be clean-shaven, so infrequent grooming is unlikely to be due to a desire for designer stubble.
Researchers from the University of Bristol say it is more likely to be because a man needed to shave infrequently, due to having less testosterone in their bodies.
There may well be some hormonal explanation
Professor Shah Ebrahim, University of Bristol
They were asked about their lifestyle, including shaving habits, then followed to see if they suffered strokes or other diseases.
Men with beards were not included in the study.
The 500 infrequent shavers were found to be more likely to smoke - a known risk factor for stroke. They were also more likely to have angina and do manual work, but were less likely to be married.
The study also found men who shaved less regularly were at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack and of suffering from lung cancer.
But when other risk factors were taken into account, particularly smoking, these factors disappeared.
Hormones
However, even after all the factors were considered, researchers found they were had a 70% increased risk of having a stroke and a 30% increased risk of dying from any cause.
It was also found that 45% of men who shaved less frequently died from all causes during the course of the study, compared to 31% of daily shavers.
Professor Shah Ebrahim, who led the research, told BBC News Online the findings indicated infrequent shaving did increase a man's risk of stroke. | Details | |
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