Doesn’t the adage say “don’t make your hair white!” to invite someone to be less anxious? A study from Harvard University (in the United States) has just confirmed what popular wisdom already knows: stress is (in part) responsible for the appearance of gray hair in humans.
American researchers (who published their work in the specialized journal Nature) worked with a group of mice to try to uncover a potential link between stress and hair bleaching.
Stress “empties the reservoir” of cells responsible for hair coloring
If the first studies focused on an immune hypothesis (the researchers believed that stress caused a disproportionate immune response resulting in the destruction of cells responsible for the production of pigments) then on a hormonal hypothesis (the researchers believed that the stress hormone , cortisol, was responsible for hair depigmentation), scientists finally succeeded in discovering the doldrums.
What happens when you are under prolonged stress? Researchers have found that under stress, the sympathetic nervous system (responsible for “arousing” the organs and the flight / fight response) secretes a substance – called norepinephrine or norepinephrine. However, this process leads to excessive stimulation of the stem cells responsible for forming the cells responsible for coloring the hair.
Problem : if stressful situations are repeated, the “reservoir” of cells contributing to hair pigmentation diminishes prematurely … and the hair, which can no longer be colored, turns white. CQFD! Morality: to protect yourself against gray hair, it is imperative to de-stress …
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