# Shaving habits linked to stroke risk
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 14, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201 "2006-12-14T23:04:09Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2006, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/1 "2006-12-14T23:04:09Z")
[BBC News link](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2729457.stm)
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.”
Baldness, linked to having higher levels of testosterone, has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
:
The study was funded by the Stroke Association.
---
### Author:  [@Alive\_At\_Both\_Ends](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alive_At_Both_Ends)
#### Post date: [December 14, 2006, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/2 "2006-12-14T23:23:46Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
[BBC News link](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2729457.stm)
\*\*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.
[/QUOTE]
Well, that’s a good example of the “post-hoc” fallacy.
Just because a slow-growing beard is correlated with the risk of a stroke, it DOESN’T mean you can reduce your risk of stroke by shaving more often!
If A and B happen together it doesn’t follow that A \*caused \*B.
---
### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/3 "2006-12-15T07:42:50Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
The link between needing to shave infrequently and stroke risk
[/QUOTE]
methinks you missed the message. “needing to shave” and “shaving habits” are not the same. Some bloke with less testosterone (and I gather, fewer whiskers) is not going to save himself by shaving more often.
---
### Author:  [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/4 "2006-12-15T13:59:57Z")
Anecdotally, it seems to me that I get _more_ strokes when I’m clean-shaven.
---
### Author:  [@According\_to\_Pliny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/According_to_Pliny)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/5 "2006-12-15T14:22:06Z")
[QUOTE=NinetyWt]
methinks you missed the message. “needing to shave” and “shaving habits” are not the same. Some bloke with less testosterone (and I gather, fewer whiskers) is not going to save himself by shaving more often.
[/QUOTE]
Don’t be dumb! If you’re saying I missed the message, you are dead wrong.
Are you so daft that you believe the newspaper reporter’s interpretation over the scientist’s? No, of course not. Well neither do I.
Get this through your head that the message is not to shave less, but that **shaving less is a warning sign of stroke risk**.
And this is important news for a lot of people. Perhaps you don’t know anyone on old right now, but I guarantee that one day you will. And when they mention they are having to shave less it will be up to you to recall this tidbit of news and tell them to go in for a blood analysis.
---
### Author:  [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/6 "2006-12-15T14:50:12Z")
Damn. I’m in the grey area where I kinda sorta have to shave more than once a week but I can still get away without it sometimes.
---
### Author:  [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/7 "2006-12-15T15:41:59Z")
[QUOTE=Cisco]
Damn. I’m in the grey area where I kinda sorta have to shave more than once a week but I can still get away without it sometimes.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, me too. I can get away with probably every 3rd day. Shaved today, tomorrow won’t be noticable, but Sunday you will notice and Monday I will definitely need to shave again.
---
### Author:  [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/8 "2006-12-15T16:52:46Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
Don’t be dumb! If you’re saying I missed the message, you are dead wrong.
Are you so daft that you believe the newspaper reporter’s interpretation over the scientist’s? No, of course not. Well neither do I.
Get this through your head that the message is not to shave less, but that **shaving less is a warning sign of stroke risk**.
[/QUOTE]
Whoa! Easy there. I don’t think that NinetyWt was delivering a smack down on your OP. I could see where he probably got his impression from the way the OP consisted of snippets of articles without any commentary from you on how you interpreted the findings.
Interesting information, by the way. Thanks for sharing it!
---
### Author:  [@Valgard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Valgard)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/9 "2006-12-15T17:51:34Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
[BBC News link](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2729457.stm)
Shaving less than once a day could increase a man’s risk of having a stroke by around 70%, researchers have found.
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.
Baldness, linked to having higher levels of testosterone, has been linked to a higher risk of heart disease.
[/QUOTE]
Great. Having less testosterone = increased stroke risk. Having more testosterone = increased risk of heart disease. We’re hosed no matter what.
I’m balding. I’ll make sure to let the ladies know that means Mucho Mas Testosterone!
---
### Author:  [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/10 "2006-12-15T17:56:28Z")
[QUOTE=Guy Incognito]
Whoa! Easy there. I don’t think that NinetyWt was delivering a smack down on your OP.
[/QUOTE]
The article, however, deserves a smackdown. The first sentence is “Shaving less than once a day could increase a man’s risk of having a stroke by around 70%, researchers have found.” That’s completely wrong, and it’s poor reporting.
---
### Author:  [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/11 "2006-12-15T18:34:00Z")
[QUOTE=Marley23]
The article, however, deserves a smackdown. The first sentence is “Shaving less than once a day could increase a man’s risk of having a stroke by around 70%, researchers have found.” That’s completely wrong, and it’s poor reporting.
[/QUOTE]
Agreed, but without **According to Pliny** coming right out and saying that he thought the article was dubious it sort of left the door open for NinetyWt’s response. I guess I felt that AtP’s response was a little bit harsh under the circumstances.
(Sorry for the hijack.)
---
### Author:  [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)
#### Post date: [December 15, 2006, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/12 "2006-12-15T22:51:23Z")
Great news for this facial hair-less hypochondriac.
LOL? :eek:
---
### Author:  [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/13 "2006-12-16T01:15:26Z")
[QUOTE=According to Pliny]
Get this through your head that the message is not to shave less, but that **shaving less is a warning sign of stroke risk**.
[/QUOTE]
Please excuse me, I didn’t get that message from the OP. I don’t think **Alive at Both Ends** did either. I gently suggest to you that your OP could have been more clear.
---
### Author:  [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/14 "2006-12-16T01:36:11Z")
So, even if I **should** shave daily, but don’t, I’m still OK?
---
### Author:  [@Plynck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plynck)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/15 "2006-12-16T22:07:16Z")
[QUOTE=Larry Mudd]
Anecdotally, it seems to me that I get _more_ strokes when I’m clean-shaven.
[/QUOTE]
You should notify researchers when there is a study correlating shaving with golf scores .
---
### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/16 "2006-12-16T22:23:59Z")
One thing I see like this time is no mention of the sample size used for the analysis. After the smokers were ajusted for the gap could have been because of an insuficent sample size. For myself I would also like to see a breakdown of their available healthcare through life and living enviroment.
---
### Author:  [@JustAnotherGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JustAnotherGeek)
#### Post date: [December 16, 2006, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/17 "2006-12-16T23:14:16Z")
[QUOTE=Merhouse]
So, even if I **should** shave daily, but don’t, I’m still OK?
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that’s my deal, too.
I get by with shaving less than once/day because I get a five oclock shadow around 10am. I can’t really tell the difference between 4 hours after shaving and 30 hours after shaving.
---
### Author:  [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2006, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/18 "2006-12-17T06:52:08Z")
Can anyone provide a link to indicate that the growth rate of facial hair on a man is directly related to testosterone levels? I’m not so sure that’s true.
I once heard a doctor state that you can’t judge a man’s testosterone levels based on physically observable traits like beard growth or baldness, as these attributes are genetically predetermined and somewhat independent of relative testosterone levels. No?
---
### Author:  [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2006, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/19 "2006-12-17T07:22:46Z")
Couldn’t it be just as simple as a correlation between personal hygiene and generally taking care of oneself? Poor diet and lack of physical activity are also major risk factors for a stroke; I’m willing to bet that guys that keep themselves clean-shaven are also more likely to generally keep themselves healthy.
Makes more sense than creating an otherwise unsubstantiated link between testosterone and stroke risk.
---
### Author:  [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)
#### Post date: [December 17, 2006, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201/20 "2006-12-17T07:57:06Z")
[QUOTE=lazybratsche]
Couldn’t it be just as simple as a correlation between personal hygiene and generally taking care of oneself? Poor diet and lack of physical activity are also major risk factors for a stroke; I’m willing to bet that guys that keep themselves clean-shaven are also more likely to generally keep themselves healthy.
[/QUOTE]
Yes, excellent point. That association seems more logical to me than the testosterone theory since stroke is associated with the same factors as heart disease is in general.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shaving-habits-linked-to-stroke-risk/384201.md?page=2)