My mother was the first one to tell me about the relationship between a crease in your earlobe and increased risk of heart disease.  It must have been ten years ago, she said, “Oh dear… you’ve got a crease in your earlobe.  They say that’s a sign of heart disease.”

earlobe crease, heart diseaseNormally, when I hear some claim like that, I am quick to do some research. It may have been the “head in the sand” syndrome that caused me to do absolutely nothing at that time.  Maybe I just didn’t want to know?

The other day, my friend, Tony said the same thing after noticing the crease in my right earlobe.  “Fine… I’ll look into it,” I thought.

I did and although there are many studies that show a correlation, there are also newer studies that show no relationship whatsoever.  Yes, earlobe creases do show up as you age.  Yes, heart disease is more prevalent as you age.  But, that doesn’t mean they are related.  Heck, you could just as easily assume that gray hair causes heart disease.

There are similar studies that show baldness on the crown of your head have the same relationship with heart disease – I’m good on that count.

So what do I take away from this?  Not much.

  • People are always looking for causal relationships that may not be there
  • I am going to continue to try to be healthy (no change there)
  • Worry will probably do more to cause heart disease than anything else

I prefer to call my crease a “character notch.”