Will You Go Bald? Your Genes Could Tell, Finds New Research 
 
 Newly identified genetic markers can find subgroups of men who are at a much higher risk for hair loss than others. 

 More than 200 new genetic markers linked with male pattern baldness have been identified, according to a new study from the United Kingdom. 
 
 The findings greatly increase the number of known genetic markers linked with baldness in men; a previous large study identified just eight such markers. 
 
 The researchers in the new study were also able to use their set of genetic markers to predict men's chances of severe hair loss, although the scientists noted that their results apply more to large populations of people than to any given individual. 
 
 "We are still a long way from making an accurate prediction for an individual's hair-loss pattern. However, these results take us one step closer," study co-author Riccardo Marioni, of the University of Edinburgh's Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, said in a statement. "The findings pave the way for an improved understanding of the genetic causes of hair loss," Marioni said. [5 Myths About the Male Body] 
 
 In the study, the researchers analyzed information from more than 52,000 men ages 40 to 69 years in the United Kingdom. Of these men, about 32 percent said they had no hair loss, 23 percent said they had slight hair loss, 27 percent said they had moderate hair loss and 18 percent said they had severe hair loss 
 
 The researchers then analyzed participants' genomes, looking for genetic variations, known as single-nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs, that were linked with severe hair loss. That search revealed 287 genetic variations, located on more than 100 genes, that were linked with severe hair loss. 
 
 Many of the genetic variations were located on or near genes that have previously been linked with hair growth, hair graying or the biological structures involved in making hair, the researchers said. 
 
 Forty of the genetic variations were located on the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers, the researchers said. One of the genes on the X chromosome — the gene for the androgen receptor, which binds to the hormone testosterone — was strongly linked with severe hair loss. Previous studies have also pinpointed this gene as tied to male pattern baldness. 
 
 The researchers then created a formula, which resulted in a genetic "risk score," to try to predict the chances of severe hair loss in the men. Among those men with a below-average score, 39 percent had no hair loss and 14 percent had severe hair loss. In contrast, among those with a high score that put them in the top 10 percent of those in the study, 58 percent had moderate-to-severe hair loss. 
 
 The researchers noted that in the study, they did not collect information on the age at which the men started losing their hair. The scientists said they would expect to see even stronger genetic associations with hair loss if they were able to include information about which men experienced early onset hair loss. 
 
 As more information from these participants becomes available, the researchers may be able to further refine their predictions, they said. 
 
 The study was published today (Feb. 14) in the journal PLOS Genetics. 
 
 Original article on Live Science. 

 A genomic study of baldness identified more than 200 genetic regions involved in this common but potentially embarrassing condition. These genetic variants could be used to predict a man's chance of severe hair loss. The study, led by Saskia Hagenaars and W. David Hill of The University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, is published February 14th, 2017 in PLOS Genetics. 
 
 Before this new study, only a handful of genes related to baldness had been identified. The University of Edinburgh scientists examined genomic and health data from over 52,000 male participants of the UK Biobank, performing a genome-wide association study of baldness. They pinpointed 287 genetic regions linked to the condition. The researchers created a formula to try and predict the chance that a person will go bald, based on the presence or absence of certain genetic markers. Accurate predictions for an individual are still some way off, but the results can help to identify sub-groups of the population for which the risk of hair loss is much higher. 
 
 The study is the largest genetic analysis of male pattern baldness to date. Many of the identified genes are related to hair structure and development. They could provide possible targets for drug development to treat baldness or related conditions. 
 
 Saskia Hagenaars, a PhD student from The University of Edinburgh's Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, who jointly led the research, said: "We identified hundreds of new genetic signals. It was interesting to find that many of the genetics signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers." 
 
 Dr David Hill, who co-led the research, said: "In this study, data were collected on hair loss pattern but not age of onset; we would expect to see an even stronger genetic signal if we were able to identify those with early-onset hair loss." 
 
 The study's principal investigator, Dr Riccardo Marioni, from The University of Edinburgh's Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, said: "We are still a long way from making an accurate prediction for an individual's hair loss pattern. However, these results take us one step closer. The findings pave the way for an improved understanding of the genetic causes of hair loss." 
 
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 In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS Genetics: http://journals. plos. org/ plosgenetics/ article?id= 10. 1371/ journal. pgen. 1006594 
 
 Citation: Hagenaars SP, Hill WD, Harris SE, Ritchie SJ, Davies G, Liewald DC, et al. (2017) Genetic prediction of male pattern baldness. PLoS Genet 13(2): e1006594. doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1006594 
 
 Funding: This research was conducted, using the UK Biobank Resource, in The University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, part of the cross-council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). Funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) is gratefully acknowledged. WDH is supported by a grant from Age UK (Disconnected Mind Project). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. 
 
 Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. 

 Researchers searching for the genetic roots of hair loss say they’ve found more than 280 different genes are involved. 
 
 And they’ve come up with a formula that can predict a man’s risk of losing his hair, although it’s too soon to say there could be a blood test to forecast whether and when a man would start losing his hair. 
 
 Genetics of male pattern baldness. University of Edinburgh researchers found 287 genes linked with hair loss Douglas Robertson, University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology / PLoS Genetics 
 
 It turns out that hair loss is very complicated genetically, the British team reports in the Public Library of Science journal PLoS Genetics. 
 
 “In this large genome-wide association study study of male pattern baldness, we identified 287 independent genetic signals that were linked to differences in the trait,” Riccardo Marioni and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh wrote. 
 
 Related: Cancer Drug Could be Baldness Remedy, Too 
 
 “The results of this study might help identify those at greatest risk of hair loss, and also potential genetic targets for intervention.” 
 
 The team studied the DNA from more than 52,000 mostly middle-aged men taking part in a gigantic British genetic experiment called BioBank. 
 
 “ Male pattern baldness affects around 80 percent of men by the age of 80 years.” 
 
 "We identified hundreds of new genetic signals," said Saskia Hagenaars, a student who worked on the study. 
 
 Although hair loss runs strongly in families, men cannot always look at their fathers and predict their own fates, hair-wise. Some can blame their mothers, the researchers found. 
 
 The trawl though all of the mens’ genes found 40 linked with baldness on the X chromosome. The rest were scattered across the genome. 
 
 "It was interesting to find that many of the genetic signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers,” Hagenaars said in a statement. 
 
 Of the men in the study, 16,700 had no hair loss. Another 12,000 had slight hair loss; 14,000 had moderate hair loss and 9,800 had severe hair loss. 
 
 Related: New Technique Could Reverse Baldness 
 
 The researchers linked each man’s genetic pattern with the degree of hair loss. 
 
 Those with fewer-than-average hair loss genes were predictably less likely to go bald. Only 14 percent in this group were bald and 39 percent hadn’t lost any hair at all. 
 
 And 58 percent of those with the top 10 percent count of baldness genes also had some hair loss. 
 
 That makes the genetic pattern only somewhat predictive. 
 
 Related: Hair Loss Drug Linked to Severe Depression 
 
 However, it’s possible to predict whether a man will lose hair with pretty good certainty. Most are fated to at least have their hair thin out. “Male pattern baldness affects around 80 percent of men by the age of 80 years,” the researchers wrote. 
 
 "We are still a long way from making an accurate prediction for an individual's hair loss pattern,” Marioni said in a statement. 
 
 “However, these results take us one step closer. The findings pave the way for an improved understanding of the genetic causes of hair loss."
– Guys, if you've ever wished you could look into a crystal ball and see if hair plugs are in your future, scientists have good news. Using data from 53,000 men in the UK, they've come up with a DNA-based algorithm that could someday predict whether one is likely to go bald—one that's more reliable than family history. More to the point for those worried about it is the second half of this sentence: "The results of this study might help identify those at greatest risk of hair loss, and also potential genetic targets for intervention," says a study co-author, per NBC News. In the study, the largest such one of male-pattern baldness to date, University of Edinburgh researchers identified 287 genetic markers linked to hair loss, per a release. That's quite a step up, given that only eight such markers had been previously identified, reports Live Science. "We are still a long way from making an accurate prediction for an individual's hair-loss pattern," says co-author Riccardo Marioni. "However, these results take us one step closer" and "pave the way for an improved understanding of the genetic causes." For now, researchers say their algorithm can be applied only to groups of people, but they hope to fine-tune it, perhaps by factoring in ages at the onset of baldness in future studies. Another of the researchers points to a notable factor: "It was interesting to find that many of the genetics signals for male pattern baldness came from the X chromosome, which men inherit from their mothers." That suggests the maternal side is more to blame than previously thought, notes Seeker. (An alleged Rogaine thief had a predictable mugshot.)