542 | id == 542
542 | category_id == 30
542 | category_order == 27
542 | category_name == Hair Loss
542 | category_color == #C47AC0
542 | slug == IRF4-baldness
542 | title == Inflammation & Regulation of Cell Death in Hair Loss (IRF4)
542 | meta_description == IRF4 encodes an immune protein that can cause cell death in hair follicles when not regulated properly. Can it cause hair loss?
542 | summary == <p><strong><em>IRF4 </em>encodes an immune protein that can cause excessive cell death in hair follicles when not regulated properly. Can it cause hair loss? Find out here.</strong></p>
542 | overall_score_text == Your Hair Loss Score (based on IRF4)
542 | image == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/background/IRF4-Male-pattern-baldness.jpg
542 | author_id == 1
542 | author_name == Jasmine Foster
542 | author_title == BSc, BEd
542 | author_order == 36
542 | author_photo == https://sd-selfdecode-assets-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/blog/author-photo/Jasmine.jpg
542 | author_intro == <p><strong>Jasmine received her BS from McGill University and her BEd from Vancouver Island University.</strong></p>    <p>Jasmine loves helping people understand their brains and bodies, a passion that grew out of her dual background in biology and education. From the chem lab to the classroom, everyone has the right to learn and make informed decisions about their health.</p>
542 | reviewer == None
542 | medical_reviewer_id == 11
542 | medical_reviewer_name == Puya Yazdi
542 | medical_reviewer_title == MD
542 | publish_date == 2020
542 | publish_date == 12
542 | publish_date == 10
542 | avg_rating == 5.0
542 | tags_id == 768
542 | tags_name == Cell Death
542 | tags_id == 1029
542 | tags_name == Hair Loss
542 | tags_id == 95
542 | tags_name == Immune System
542 | tags_id == 24
542 | tags_name == Inflammation
542 | tags_id == 343
542 | tags_name == Interferons
542 | tags_id == 880
542 | tags_name == IRF4 Gene
542 | tags_id == 1028
542 | tags_name == Male-Pattern Baldness
542 | permissions_favorite == False
542 | permissions_rate == False
542 | content_article == <h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4 </span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">encodes interferon regulatory factor 4. Variants of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> may play a role in male pattern baldness by promoting cell death in the hair follicles. Lifestyle, diet, and supplement modifications may counteract the effects of these variants by balancing IRF4 either directly or through STAT3.</span></p> <h2><strong><em>IRF4 </em></strong><strong>and Male Pattern Baldness</strong></h2> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/irf4/"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4</span></em></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">gene encodes interferon regulatory factor 4, one of the family of compounds that regulate the interferon response to viral infection [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/gene/3662"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4 has a complex mechanism with both pro- and anti-inflammatory effects. In various tissues, it promotes </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/supplements-people-th2-dominant/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Th2 immune response</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and increases the production of </span><a href="http://selfhacked.com/blog/il-10/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">IL-10</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> and IL-33 cytokines [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4003872/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4 activity is regulated by STAT3, a signaling protein that responds to inflammatory signals and controls the expression of genes involved in the growth, development, and activation of immune system cells [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100297/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5050093/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2733795/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4628878/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4118716/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4 is also believed to play a role in programmed cell death. Some researchers have suggested that its connection to cell death explains why some </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> variants are associated with male pattern baldness [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562814/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">IRF4</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> encodes an immune protein that can cause excessive cell death in the hair follicles when it isn&rsquo;t regulated properly.</span></span></p> <h2><strong>Your </strong><strong><em>IRF4</em></strong><strong> Results for Male Pattern Baldness</strong></h2> <p>*2738615976870835*</p> <p><a href="https://selfdecode.com/gene/irf4/"><strong>IRF4</strong></a> <a href="https://selfdecode.com/snp/rs12203592/"><strong>rs12203592</strong></a> <span style="font-weight: 400;">[</span><a href="https://journals.plos.org/plosgenetics/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgen.1006594"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms14694"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">]</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;C&rsquo; = Not associated with male pattern baldness</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lsquo;T&rsquo; = Associated with increased rates of male pattern baldness</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The &lsquo;T&rsquo; allele may cause dysregulated IRF4, leading to increased rates of cell death and hair loss [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6562814/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></li> </ul> <p>*7490924609241252*</p> <h2><strong>Recommendations for Improving Hair Growth</strong></h2> <p>*1160423740133700*</p> <h3><strong>Avoid Cigarette Smoke</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cigarette smoke is believed to have a complex interaction with STAT3 that may lead to increased IRF4 and greater rates of cell death [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3787396/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100297/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Several studies have associated smoking with an approximately 2-fold risk of male-pattern baldness. Cigarette smoke may cause oxidative and inflammatory damage in the hair follicles, impair hair growth, and reduce female sex hormone levels. A study found that the combination of smoking with being overweight increased male-pattern baldness severity [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12673073/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28555720/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18025364/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32946667/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23629119/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Cigarette smoke may promote inflammatory damage and cell death in the hair follicles by stimulating STAT3 and dysregulating IRF4.</span></p> <h3><strong>Apples</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The active polyphenols found in </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/apple-polyphenols/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">apples</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> have been found to shift the immune response away from Th2, which may help counteract the downstream effects of dysregulated IRF4 [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20175787/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An oral apple polyphenol extract from Annurca apples (500 mg polyphenols, 2x/day) increased hair density, weight, and keratin content in a placebo-controlled trial of 250 healthy men and women [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5775114/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The apple polyphenol procyanidin B2 increased hair density when topically applied for 4-12 months in 3 placebo-controlled trials of 101 men [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11406858/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17168871/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11194183/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Apple polyphenols may increase hair growth by counteracting the downstream effects of dysregulated IRF4.</span></p> <h3><strong>Topical Rosemary</strong></h3> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Carnosol, an active compound found in </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rosemary-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rosemary</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, may balance IRF4 and reduce Th17 activity by reducing STAT3 [</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6100297/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a placebo-controlled trial of 50 men with male-pattern baldness, topical </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/rosemary-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">rosemary</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> oil applied for 6 months increased hair counts as effectively as minoxidil [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In another placebo-controlled trial of 86 men, aromatherapy massage with rosemary and other essential oils (</span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/lavender-health-benefits/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">lavender</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, thyme, and cedarwood) improved hair density in 43% of those who received it [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9828867/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rosemary leaf extract promoted hair growth in mice with their backs shaved and hair regrowth in those treated with </span><a href="https://selfhacked.com/blog/testosterone-will-add/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">testosterone</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> [</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22517595/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">R</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">].</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400; background-color: #e8ebfc; border-left: 2px solid #4569fa; display: block; padding: 20px;">Carnosol, an active compound from rosemary, may balance IRF4 and promote hair growth.</span></p>
542 | content_snp_table_2738615976870835_key == 2738615976870835
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542 | content_snp_table_2738615976870835_hidden == False
542 | content_learn_more_7490924609241252_key == 7490924609241252
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542 | content_learn_more_7490924609241252_text == Based on the variants we looked at, your IRF4 gene is somewhat associated with increased rates of cell death in hair follicles. However, this doesn't necessarily reflect your overall risk of male pattern baldness; it’s just one gene related to it. Avoiding cigarettes and applying active compounds from apples, soy, and rosemary may help. Keep scrolling to find out more.
542 | content_recommendation_1160423740133700_key == 1160423740133700
542 | content_recommendation_1160423740133700_blur == True
542 | content_recommendation_1160423740133700_hidden == False
rsIDs = rs12203592
rsStatus = rs12203592,IRF4,chr6,396321,C,G,T,,32,0,Normal
