Japanese researchers find that going gray may protect against melanoma.
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Going gray may not just be a badge of age—it may also be a sign your body has eliminated potentially cancerous cells, according to recent research.
A mouse study from the University of Tokyo has uncovered how hair follicle stem cells respond to DNA damage—and the findings suggest that going gray and developing melanoma may be two divergent outcomes of the same cellular stress.
The Two-Path Response
Researchers focused on pigment-producing stem cells called melanocyte stem cells, which determine whether your hair retains its color or turns gray.
George Citroner reports on health and medicine, covering topics that include cancer, infectious diseases, and neurodegenerative conditions. He was awarded the Media Orthopaedic Reporting Excellence (MORE) award in 2020 for a story on osteoporosis risk in men.
