Redheads are less likely to get prostate cancer
Genes protect redheads from prostate cancer
They believe that it's all about the gene that causes red hair color.
Specialists from the Department of Epidemiology and Genetics of Cancer of the National Institute of Cancer Research of the USA in their work proceeded from the previously identified feedback between solar radiation and prostate cancer – the more exposure to ultraviolet rays, the lower the incidence and mortality from prostate cancer. The molecular mechanism behind this phenomenon is generally not yet clear, but scientists tend to associate it with an increase in the level of vitamin D synthesized in the body in response to sunlight, which somehow reduces the risk of prostate cancer.
In an attempt to identify a possible link between the type of pigmentation of hair, eyes and skin, which is associated with the level of vitamin D synthesis, and the risk of prostate cancer, the authors analyzed an array of data obtained during a large-scale study conducted in 1982 on the role of vitamin E and beta-carotene in cancer prevention. The study involved almost 21 thousand men aged 50 to 69 years. Among other things, the participants indicated what hair color they had at the age of 20.
It was found that men with natural red hair have a 54 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than natural brown-haired men. The ginger-related phenotype is usually the result of a dysfunctional mutation in the MC1R gene. The authors suggest that the revealed effect may be caused by the direct influence of regulatory mechanisms associated with the MC1R gene or other pigmentation-causing genes on carcinogenesis.
Previous studies have shown that red-haired people on average have a lower pain threshold and a higher risk of skin cancer than the rest of the population, which is also associated with MC1R gene dysfunction.
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru14.08.2013