Grey hairs could be a link to cancer, new study finds
Findings suggest grey hairs have a remarkable link to preventing cancer
- New research suggests that grey hair is a byproduct of a protective cellular process designed to prevent cancer.
- Melanocyte stem cells, responsible for hair colour, undergo 'seno-differentiation' when their DNA is damaged, irreversibly maturing and disappearing from the stem cell pool.
- This process, which results in grey hair, removes potentially cancerous cells, acting as a bodily self-sacrifice to prevent the spread of genetic mutations.
- However, under certain stressors like potent carcinogens or UV radiation, these damaged stem cells can bypass this protective mechanism and continue dividing, creating an environment conducive to melanoma.
- The findings reframe grey hair and melanoma as 'antagonistic fates' of the same stem cell population, highlighting the body's complex balance between tissue renewal and cancer avoidance, though further human research is needed.