Gray hair often appears as we age, primarily due to the aging process. The weakening of antioxidants can damage pigment cells, leading to a reduction in hair pigmentation.
However, it’s not just the elderly who experience gray hair; many young people today also have gray strands. This can be quite bothersome, as just a few white hairs can make you look several years older.
As a result, many individuals turn to dyeing their hair to cover these gray areas.
Gray hair appears as a result of the aging process.
However, frequent hair dyeing can have negative health effects due to the presence of harmful chemicals in hair dye products.
There are claims that people with gray hair are less likely to develop certain cancers. So, how true is this?
According to a report by the Daily Mail, researchers from the Department of Dermatology at Harvard University believe that white hair is a self-protective mechanism of the body. Genes that hinder the destruction and removal of melanin can reduce the risk of cancer.
It may seem hard to believe, but many people worry that having gray hair at an early age is a bad sign, impacting both aesthetics and health. However, in reality, individuals with gray hair are often seen as “health treasures.”
Currently, the cancer burden in Vietnam is estimated to have tripled over the past 30 years. According to GLOBOCAN 2020, Vietnam ranks 90th out of 185 countries for new cancer cases and 50th for cancer mortality rates.
By 2023, the Oncology Hospital continued to receive over 30,000 new cancer cases.
These numbers are alarming, so in the face of cancer, gray hair is truly not a significant issue.
The research exploring the link between gray hair and cancer originated from experiments on mice conducted by Japanese researchers in 2009.
Initial studies showed that when DNA is damaged, the melanin stem cells in hair follicles do not “die” but instead transform into mature pigment cells. However, they can no longer produce melanin, resulting in the mice’s fur turning gray.
However, the results of the study did not conclude that individuals with more gray hair have an increased or decreased risk of cancer. Therefore, the conclusion that people with a lot of gray hair are at lower risk for cancer still lacks solid scientific evidence.
