Men’s Health Australia — September 2017

Ask

MH

LIFE QUESTIONS, ANSWERED

PHOTOGRAPHY

BY

KAT

PISIOLEK

AT

HEARST

STUDIOS

AND

AGATA

PEC

Be wary of taking

hair-raising

headlines to

heart.

CONCERNED THAT a liberal coating of Just

For Men Mahogany won’t get you out of jail

this time? It’s true that cardiologists recently

linked premature greying to heart issues. They

believe the mechanisms driving coronary artery

disease – oxidative stress, inflammation – are also

responsible for adding more salt to your pepper.

However, the research merely shows correlation,

not causation. According to the British Heart

Foundation (BHF), “A larger study is needed

before we use hair colour as a measure of risk”.

In other words, undue stressing is likely to have

a worse effect on your ticker than your follicular

situation. If you’re over 40 and concerned about

your health, ask your GP for a check-up.

Q I’ve recently read that grey hair is linked to

heart attacks. As a silver fox, am I in trouble? JS

DISCERN WHICH OF THESE PURPORTED HEART-STOPPERS

ARE TRULY WORTH YOUR WORRY

TICKED OFF

BAD TEETH

Top dental experts say

links between poor

oral hygiene and heart

issues are backed by

“robust scientific

evidence”, so don’t

brush this one off.

NOISY ROADS

While a Danish study

correlated traffic noise

to heart attack risk due

to stress, the UK’s

NHS claims there’s

“still a chance that this

is just a coincidence”.

FIZZY DRINKS

US studies linking diet

cola with strokes

showed “no links when

looking at longer term

patterns”, say UK

experts. It still does you

no good, though.