Duke University

It dread many prior to the performance, gray hair to get now researchers have the mystery solved who does not know that, to stand before the mirror and at once completely unprepared, you can see a first gray hair. Usually it too takes long afterwards, until the gray coloring then spreads on the head. Unfortunately only a few of them about this development forward. But how come the grey hair? About I let me grow any grey hairs”. Through such sayings, it is clear that many stress as the cause of the colour on the head saw.

Is that true? Scientists have examined the relationship between stress and gray hair. When you must discover the first grey hair at the sight of the own mirror image, is first of all depend on the genes. The stock of pigment stem cells is how big and how well the cells against oxidative stress can protect themselves, is stored in the genetic material. Oxidative stress can be due to external factors such as nutritional deficiencies, physical stress, psychological stress, ultraviolet rays, environmental toxins. Drugs, injuries, or smoking are raised.

If the hair gray turns, too many aggressive molecules in the skin have accumulated, which damage the genetic material. Thus not only the aging process, but also stress is a cause for the grays, a team of Japanese scientists has found out (cell, vol. 137, pp. 1088, 2009). The pigment cells to die before the actual expiration date specified in the genes ‘ down. American Duke University researchers came to a similar conclusion. They found that chronic stress can damage the DNA and therefore also the hair become grey. So is actually a direct correlation between psychological stress and the amount of gray hair on our head. The investigations are currently while still at the beginning, but the scientists are confident, very soon to be able to develop a drug that is intended to prevent the premature gray coloring of the hair.