"It's really old, this white hair grows more and more, and I have to dye my hair again. Uncle Lin touched the hair that was getting grayer and whiter, and smiled bitterly with his chess friend Uncle Cheng.
"Don't toss around, what's wrong with gray hair, let me tell you, I read a Harvard study before, and it said that people with gray hair have a small chance of developing cancer!"
Uncle Lin looked incredulous, "Really, it's fake, don't you comfort me, it's still a good thing to have long white hair?"
"What am I lying to you for, what I saw on the Internet before, saying that if there is less melanin, there will be fewer cancer cells. ”
Uncle Lin listened to what his friend said, although he was skeptical, he was still a little happy in his heart, and at the same time, he was also very curious, is it true that people with long white hair are not easy to get cancer?
1. Say goodbye to hair dye? Scientists have discovered that gray hair can be reversed into a "switch"!
Generally speaking, as you get older, you will start to grow gray hair after middle age. However, with the increase of life pressure, "white hair" is not only the standard for middle-aged and elderly people, but more and more young adults are not young but have "early hair".
However, a new study has found that the causes of gray hair, in addition to age, stress, genes and the immune system are also factors that cannot be ignored. And more importantly, the process is reversible. That is, can gray hair really regain its original color?
The world-renowned journal "eLife" published a research team published by Columbia University in the United States, in which a quantitative numerical system for the graying degree of human hair was created, and the subject's hair color was monitored to observe their psychological stress level over a period of one year.
Researchers have found that under certain conditions, when hair has reached near the aging threshold, stress can cause hair to turn gray prematurely, but when stress is lowered, gray hair can also reverse back to black if the hair just exceeds the threshold just a little bit.
The graph comes from the network
In addition, a study published in Nature on April 19 last year by Professor Mayumi Ito of New York University's Grossman School of Medicine found the reason why hair turns gray with age.
As aging progresses, melanocyte stem cells (McSCs) become "trapped" and lose their ability to maintain hair color, causing hair to turn gray. This study proposes a potential way for an oral test to reverse gray hair or prevent graying of human hair by helping trapped McSCs move again in the developing hair follicles.
It can be seen that under certain conditions, gray hair can really be reversed back to black!
The graph comes from the network
Thank you for moving your fingers and helping Xiao Jiu complete the questionnaire~
2. People with long gray hair are not susceptible to cancer? Is it true or false?
Previously, an online article "Research shows that gray hair is not useless - it can reduce your risk of cancer!" aroused the attention of netizens, so is this conclusion reliable?
Xiao Jiu first explained to you that the Japanese study was published in 2009, and this study only explores the mechanism of hair graying, through mouse experiments, it was found that when DNA is damaged, the melanocytes in the hair follicles will be transformed into mature melanocytes, which will lead to stem cell exhaustion, and the hair of mice will gradually turn gray and white.
So why is there a claim that "long gray hair can reduce the risk of cancer" in such a study on mouse hair, and there is no cancer data?
It turned out that this online article was a translation of a news report in the British "Daily Mail", which quoted David Fisher, director of the Department of Dermatology at Harvard University, as interpreting the study, and Professor Fisher believed that this mechanism of "hair graying" actually played a role in reducing the risk of cancer.
However, it only compares the effects of melanocytes on the human body by "continuing to live as stem cells" and "becoming melanocytes", rather than comparing the cancer risk of "people with black hair" and "people with gray hair". So, don't get me wrong!
Based on the reality, the elderly have a much higher chance of developing cancer than young people, which contradicts the conclusion, so the elderly should be vigilant regardless of whether they have gray hair or not!
3. Where does gray hair grow, where does the disease come from, and what vitamins will cause gray hair?
The location of gray hair growth is sometimes a health warning, and gray hair in different locations may indicate different physical conditions.
1. Premature white temples
From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, the temples are the route followed by the gallbladder meridians, while the liver and gallbladder are the surface and the inside of each other. Therefore, if gray hair appears on the temples too early, you should be alert to the problem of liver and gallbladder fire.
2. White hair appears on the forehead
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the forehead is the route followed by the stomach meridians of the foot yangming. Therefore, if gray hair appears on the forehead too early, you should be alert to problems with the spleen and stomach.
3. White hair on the back of the head
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that the back of the head is the route followed by the Du Mai and Zu Sun bladder meridians, and the kidneys and bladder are the inside and outside of each other, so if gray hair appears too early on the back of the head, you should worry about whether the kidney qi is insufficient.
In addition, the sudden increase in gray hair may also be related to the lack of some nutrients in the body, such as:
1. Protein
Protein is one of the main raw materials of hair, which can help the body synthesize sufficient keratin, so when the body lacks protein, it cannot maintain hair growth, and it is prone to problems such as split ends, dryness, and sudden increase in gray hair. You can usually eat more eggs, milk, fish, beef and other foods to supplement protein.
2. Iodine
Iodine has the effect of promoting hair growth, and if iodine is deficient, it will lead to a decline in hair follicle function and hair may suddenly turn gray. Usually, you can eat more iodized salt, seaweed, kelp and other foods to supplement iodine.
3. Copper element
The main component of tyrosinase that synthesizes melanin is copper ions, so if there is a lack of copper ions, it will affect the function of tyrosinase, resulting in its inability to synthesize melanin normally, which can easily cause gray hair. Usually, you can eat more hazelnuts, cashews, almonds and other foods to supplement copper ions.
4. B vitamins
Deficiency of these B vitamins, including B2, B3, and B5, may affect the synthesis of melanocytes in the hair follicle, resulting in gray hair. You can usually eat more whole grains, green leafy vegetables, dairy products and other foods to supplement B vitamins.
There is no direct link between gray hair and cancer, if gray hair is found, the cause can be analyzed first, and then targeted intervention can be carried out, so as to better protect hair and health.
Resources:
[1] "This kind of gray hair can be reversed back to black, "lying flat" can be!", nutritionist Gu Zhongyi.2023-11-09
[2] "Nature's blockbuster discovery: uncovering the cause of gray hair, bringing hope for gray hair to turn black".Biological World.2023-04-20
[3] "Is the sudden increase in gray hair old?It may be that the body lacks these four kinds of nutrients...... Xinhuanet. 2022-09-25
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