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For many it happens in the late twenties or early thirties, for others it can be much younger or older – but eventually, that dreaded first gray hair creeps up on us all.
Of course, it could be considered a cause for celebration, since just a few generations ago, only the lucky ones lived long enough to even develop a full head of gray hair.
But inevitably, many connect the appearance of a silver strand with the end of their youth and the impending crisis of “getting old”.
But a recent study from the University of Tokyo, Japan, has provided further proof that actually, gray hair is something to be grateful for.
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As we age, our hair goes gray as a result of age-related decline and damage to the stem cells that cause our hair to have its natural pigmentation.
And while going gray is not many people’s ideal, the situation could be much worse, as the recent study – which was published in the journal Nature Cell Biology – could, unfortunately, be cancer.
That’s because, after the death of the pigment-inducing cells, the body seems to have made the evolutionary decision to essentially deactivate their capabilities, rather than allowing them to keep dividing, since this could lead to melanoma.
This is all thanks to what’s known as Melanocyte stem cells (McSCs), which live within hair follicles and provide the pigmentation that we all know and love – but when they go rogue, melanoma can be the result.
Emi Nishimura & Yasuaki Mohri
In their mouse-based lab study, the researchers from Japan explored how the McSCs work in different scenarios, proving that the graying of hair is an evolutionary adaptation designed to keep us healthier for longer.
Of course, the graying of hair doesn’t literally prevent cancer, the scientists are keen to explain, but it demonstrates our bodily response in the face of harmful cells, as Professor Emi Nishimura explains in a statement:
“These findings reveal that the same stem cell population can follow antagonistic fates—exhaustion or expansion—depending on the type of stress and microenvironmental signals. It reframes hair graying and melanoma not as unrelated events, but as divergent outcomes of stem cell stress responses.”
So next time you spot a gray hair shimmering on the top of your head, rather than plucking it out in disgust, why not smile? Your body is just taking care of you.
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