14 DAY TRIAL // The scientific community has long been aware that, for some reason, redheads are more likely to develop skin cancer. A new study published in yesterday's issue of the scientific journal Molecular Cell offers as explanation for this phenomenon.
Researchers claim that, according to their investigations, redheads probably have a higher risk to get cancer due to several genetic mutations.
Interestingly enough, the mutations that make them more vulnerable to said medical condition are the same ones that give them red hair and a fair skin, Live Science tells us.
The scientists explain that these mutations all occur in a gene dubbed MC1R.
They affect skin cells, and up their chances to get cancer when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation, the same source details.
To test the theory that mutations in said genes are the ones that make redheads more vulnerable to cancer, the researchers carried out a series of experiments on mice and lab-grown cells.
They found that, in the case of cells that did not have this mutation, the MC1R bonded with another gene dubbed PTEN, thus protecting the cells against UV radiation-induced changes that can ultimately translate into cancer.
On the other hand, the MC1R genes in cells that did have the genetic mutations for red hair and fair skins did not bind to the PTEN ones.
Therefore, the cells did not get any protection against the effects of UV radiation, and were more likely to develop cancer.
“Our findings provide a possible molecular mechanism as to why red-haired individuals harboring MC1R mutations are much more susceptible to UV-induced skin damage than individuals with darker skin,” researcher Wenyi Wei of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston commented on the outcome of these experiments.
Due to the fact that these experiments were carried out on mice and cells grown inside a laboratory, the researchers cannot say for sure that the mechanisms they've pinned down are to blame for the fact that people with red hair are more likely to get cancer.
However, they are confident future investigations will help shed more light on the matter at hand.