Study: Gray Hair May Indicate Body’s Natural Defense Against Cancer
(MENAFN) Gray hair may be more than a sign of aging, potentially reflecting the body’s natural defense against cancer, new research from the University of Tokyo suggests.
A study published in Nature Cell Biology found that white hair arises when damaged stem cells in hair follicles self-eliminate, a mechanism that can prevent melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer.
Researchers led by Emi Nishimura and Yasuaki Mohri examined stem cells responsible for producing melanocytes, the pigment cells that give hair and skin their color.
They found that when these stem cells suffer severe DNA damage, they stop renewing themselves and self-destruct. This prevents damaged cells from dividing and spreading mutations that could become cancerous, leading to gray or white hair.
The process is triggered by the activation of key signaling molecules that prompt cell self-elimination. However, when exposed to certain carcinogens, such as ultraviolet B radiation, the same stem cells may continue to renew and proliferate.
While the study does not suggest that gray or white hair directly protects against cancer, it sheds light on how the body balances cell death with uncontrolled growth.
"These findings reveal that the same population of stem cells can follow opposing fates (exhaustion or expansion) depending on the type of stress and microenvironmental signals,” Nishimura said in a statement. “This redefines hair graying and melanoma not as unrelated events, but as divergent outcomes of stem cell responses to stress.”
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