Is stress turning my hair grey?
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When we start to go grey depends a lot on genetics.
Your first grey hairs usually appear anywhere between your twenties and fifties. For men, grey hairs normally start at the temples and sideburns. Women tend to start greying on the hairline, especially at the front.
The most rapid greying usually happens between ages 50 and 60. But does anything we do speed up the process? And is there anything we can do to slow it down?
You’ve probably heard that plucking, dyeing and stress can make your hair go grey – and that redheads don’t. Here’s what the science says.
What gives hair its colour?
Each strand of hair is produced by a hair follicle, a tunnel-like opening in your skin. Follicles contain two different kinds of stem cells:
- keratinocytes, which produce keratin, the protein that makes and regenerates hair strands
- melanocytes, which produce melanin, the pigment that colours your hair and skin.
There are two main types of melanin that determine hair colour. Eumelanin is a black-brown pigment and pheomelanin is a red-yellow pigment.
The amount of the different pigments determines hair colour. Black and brown hair has mostly eumelanin, red hair has the most pheomelanin, and blonde hair has just a small amount of both.
So what makes our hair turn grey?
As we age, it’s normal for cells to become less active. In the hair follicle, this means stem cells produce less melanin – turning our hair grey – and less keratin, causing hair thinning and loss.
As less melanin is produced, there is less pigment to give the hair its colour. Grey hair has very little melanin, while white hair has none left.
Unpigmented hair looks grey, white or silver because light reflects off the keratin, which is pale yellow.
Grey hair is thicker, coarser and stiffer than hair with pigment. This is because the shape of the hair follicle becomes irregular as the stem cells change with age.
Interestingly, grey hair also grows faster than pigmented hair, but it uses more energy in the process.
Can stress turn our hair grey?
Yes, stress can cause your hair to turn grey. This happens when oxidative stress damages hair follicles and stem cells and stops them producing melanin.
Oxidative stress is an imbalance of too many damaging free radical chemicals and not enough protective antioxidant chemicals in the body. It can be caused by psychological or emotional stress as well as autoimmune diseases.
Environmental factors such as exposure to UV and pollution, as well as smoking and some drugs, can also play a role.
Melanocytes are more susceptible to damage than keratinocytes because of the complex steps in melanin production. This explains why ageing and stress usually cause hair greying before hair loss.
Scientists have been able to link less pigmented sections of a hair strand to stressful events in a person’s life. In younger people, whose stems cells still produced melanin, colour returned to the hair after the stressful event passed.
4 popular ideas about grey hair – and what science says
1. Does plucking a grey hair make more grow back in its place?
No. When you pluck a hair, you might notice a small bulb at the end that was attached to your scalp. This is the root. It grows from the hair follicle.
Plucking a hair pulls the root out of the follicle. But the follicle itself is the opening in your skin and can’t be plucked out. Each hair follicle can only grow a single hair.
It’s possible frequent plucking could make your hair grey earlier, if the cells that produce melanin are damaged or exhausted from too much regrowth.
2. Can my hair can turn grey overnight?
Legend says Marie Antoinette’s hair went completely white the night before the French queen faced the guillotine – but this is a myth.
Melanin in hair strands is chemically stable, meaning it can’t transform instantly.
Acute psychological stress does rapidly deplete melanocyte stem cells in mice. But the effect doesn’t show up immediately. Instead, grey hair becomes visible as the strand grows – at a rate of about 1 cm per month.
Not all hair is in the growing phase at any one time, meaning it can’t all go grey at the same time.
3. Will dyeing make my hair go grey faster?
This depends on the dye.
Temporary and semi-permanent dyes should not cause early greying because they just coat the hair strand without changing its structure. But permanent products cause a chemical reaction with the hair, using an oxidising agent such as hydrogen peroxide.
Accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and other hair dye chemicals in the hair follicle can damage melanocytes and keratinocytes, which can cause greying and hair loss.
4. Is it true redheads don’t go grey?
People with red hair also lose melanin as they age, but differently to those with black or brown hair.
This is because the red-yellow and black-brown pigments are chemically different.
Producing the brown-black pigment eumelanin is more complex and takes more energy, making it more susceptible to damage.
Producing the red-yellow pigment (pheomelanin) causes less oxidative stress, and is more simple. This means it is easier for stem cells to continue to produce pheomelanin, even as they reduce their activity with ageing.
With ageing, red hair tends to fade into strawberry blonde and silvery-white. Grey colour is due to less eumelanin activity, so is more common in those with black and brown hair.
Your genetics determine when you’ll start going grey. But you may be able to avoid premature greying by staying healthy, reducing stress and avoiding smoking, too much alcohol and UV exposure.
Eating a healthy diet may also help because vitamin B12, copper, iron, calcium and zinc all influence melanin production and hair pigmentation.
Theresa Larkin, Associate Professor of Medical Sciences, University of Wollongong
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Pineapple vs Passion fruit – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing pineapple to passion fruit, we picked the passion fruit.
Why?
Both certainly have their strong points, and this one was very close!
In terms of macros, passion fruit has about 4x the protein, nearly 2x the carbs, and more than 7x the fiber. So, this one’s a clear and overwhelming win for passion fruit.
Vitamins are quite close; pineapple has more of vitamins B1, B5, B6, B9, and C, while passion fruit has more of vitamins A, B2, and B3. So, a modest 5:3 win for pineapple.
When it comes to minerals, pineapple has more calcium, copper, manganese, and zinc, while passion fruit has more iron, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, and selenium. Superficially, this would be a 5:5 tie, but looking at the numbers, passion fruit’s margins of difference are much greater, which means it gives the better overall mineral coverage, and thus wins the category on tiebreakers.
In other considerations, pineapple has more polyphenols with its variety of lignans, while passion fruit has just secoisolariciresinol, of which pineapple has more anyway. Plus, not a polyphenol but doing much of the same job, pineapple has bromelain, which is unique to it. So pineapple wins this category easily.
Adding up the sections and weighting them for importance (e.g. what a difference it makes to health) and statistical relevance (e.g. greater or smaller margins of difference) makes for a nominal passion fruit win, but like we say, both of these fruits are great, so do enjoy both!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Bromelain vs Inflammation & Much More
Take care!
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Bamboo Shoots vs Beetroot – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing bamboo shoots to beetroot, we picked the bamboo.
Why?
It was close!
In terms of macros, bamboo has more protein while beetroot has more fiber and carbs; we’re calling this first round a tie.
In the category of vitamins, bamboo has more of vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7, and E, while beetroot has more of vitamins A, B9, and C, yielding a 7:3 win to bamboo here.
Looking at minerals, bamboo has more copper, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, while beetroot has more iron and magnesium, making this round a 5:2 win for bamboo.
In other considerations, beetroot is higher in polyphenols and nitrates, and so wins a round finally.
Adding up the sections, however, makes for an overall win for bamboo—do still enjoy either or both though, as diversity is best!
Want to learn more?
You might like:
- Don’t Be Bamboozled By Bamboo! ← including how to eat bamboo, for those unfamiliar with such, as we have been asked about it 🙂
- Beetroot For More Than Just Your Blood Pressure
Enjoy!
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What is a virtual emergency department? And when should you ‘visit’ one?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
For many Australians the emergency department (ED) is the physical and emblematic front door to accessing urgent health-care services.
But health-care services are evolving rapidly to meet the population’s changing needs. In recent years, we’ve seen growing use of telephone, video, and online health services, including the national healthdirect helpline, 13YARN (a crisis support service for First Nations people), state-funded lines like 13 HEALTH, and bulk-billed telehealth services, which have helped millions of Australians to access health care on demand and from home.
The ED is similarly expanding into new telehealth models to improve access to emergency medical care. Virtual EDs allow people to access the expertise of a hospital ED through their phone, computer or tablet.
All Australian states and the Northern Territory have some form of virtual ED at least in development, although not all of these services are available to the general public at this stage.
So what is a virtual ED, and when is it appropriate to consider using one?
Shutterstock/Nils Versemann How does a virtual ED work?
A virtual ED is set up to mirror the way you would enter the physical ED front door. First you provide some basic information to administration staff, then you are triaged by a nurse (this means they categorise the level of urgency of your case), then you see the ED doctor. Generally, this all takes place in a single video call.
In some instances, virtual ED clinicians may consult with other specialists such as neurologists, cardiologists or trauma experts to make clinical decisions.
A virtual ED is not suitable for managing medical emergencies which would require immediate resuscitation, or potentially serious chest pains, difficulty breathing or severe injuries.
A virtual ED is best suited to conditions that require immediate attention but are not life-threatening. These could include wounds, sprains, respiratory illnesses, allergic reactions, rashes, bites, pain, infections, minor burns, children with fevers, gastroenteritis, vertigo, high blood pressure, and many more.
People with these sorts of conditions and concerns may not be able to get in to see a GP straight away and may feel they need emergency advice, care or treatment.
When attending the ED, they can be subject to long wait times and delayed specialist attention because more serious cases are naturally prioritised. Attending a virtual ED may mean they’re seen by a doctor more quickly, and can begin any relevant treatment sooner.
From the perspective of the health-care system, virtual EDs are about redirecting unnecessary presentations away from physical EDs, helping them be ready to respond to emergencies. The virtual ED will not hesitate in directing callers to come into the physical ED if staff believe it is an emergency.
The doctor in the virtual ED may also direct the patient to a GP or other health professional, for example if their condition can’t be assessed visually, or if they need physical treatment.
The results so far
Virtual EDs have developed significantly over the past three years, predominantly driven by the COVID pandemic. We are now starting to slowly see assessments of these services.
A recent evaluation my colleagues and I did of Queensland’s Metro North Virtual ED found roughly 30% of calls were directed to the physical ED. This suggests 70% of the time, cases could be managed effectively by the virtual ED.
Preliminary data from a Victorian virtual ED indicates it curbed a similar rate of avoidable ED presentations – 72% of patients were successfully managed by the virtual ED alone. A study on the cost-effectiveness of another Victorian virtual ED suggested it has the potential to generate savings in health-care costs if it prevents physical ED visits.
Only 1.2% of people assessed in Queensland’s Metro North Virtual ED required unexpected hospital admission within 48 hours of being “discharged” from the virtual ED. None of these cases were life-threatening. This indicates the virtual ED is very safe.
The service experienced an average growth rate of 65% each month over a two-year evaluation period, highlighting increasing demand and confidence in the service. Surveys suggested clinicians also view the virtual ED positively.
The right advice could tell you whether you need to visit hospital in person or not. 1st footage/Shutterstock What now?
We need further research into patient outcomes and satisfaction, as well as the demographics of those using virtual EDs, and how these measures compare to the physical ED across different triage categories.
There are also challenges associated with virtual EDs, including around technology (connection and skills among patients and health professionals), training (for health professionals) and the importance of maintaining security and privacy.
Nonetheless, these services have the potential to reduce congestion in physical EDs, and offer greater convenience for patients.
Eligibility differs between different programs, so if you want to use a virtual ED, you may need to check you are eligible in your jurisdiction. Most virtual EDs can be accessed online, and some have direct phone numbers.
Jaimon Kelly, Senior Research Fellow in Telehealth delivered health services, The University of Queensland
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Statins vs Breast Cancer
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We’ve written about both of these topics (statins and breast cancer) before, but this is the first time we’re talking about the effect of one on the other.
So, first of all, let’s recap a little: statins, often prescribed to lower cholesterol levels, are:
- often (but not always) much less effective for women than for men, and also
- often (but not always) come with side effects that are typically a lot more serious for women than for men.
The side effects can then lead to a “side effect train” whereby the patient then has to take something else to treat the side effect, then something else to treat the side effect(s) of that medication, and so on, until they are taking an increasingly large stack of medications. See also: Are You Taking PIMs? Getting Off The Overmedication Train
Based on that, statins will not be “the right choice” for women as often as they are for men.
You can read on that in detail, here: Statins: His & Hers?
Or if you want to get really into detail, then check out this excellent book that we reviewed (and whose information largely informed the above-linked article): The Truth About Statins – by Dr. Barbara H. Roberts
And to borrow from that article:
❝Statins do have their place, especially for men. They can, however, mask underlying problems that need treatment—which becomes counterproductive.
When it comes to women, statins are—in broad terms—statistically not as good. They are a little more likely to be helpful specifically in cases of atherosclerosis, whereby they have a 50/50 chance of helping.
For women in particular, it may be worthwhile looking into alternative non-statin drugs, and, for everyone: diet and exercise.❞
As for those non-statin alternatives, actually drugs (in the sense usually meant) are not the only option either, as there are natural compounds that have been shown to help, for example:
Policosanol: A Rival To Statins, Without The Side Effects?
…and:
Take These To Lower Cholesterol! (Statin Alternatives)
In statins’ favor…
Researchers (Dr. Alana Cavadino et al.) investigated the relationship between statins and breast cancer mortality.
This is highly relevant, because breast cancer is the most common and deadliest cancer in women; older women are at higher risk and often take statins for cardiovascular health. It’s not just a matter of “statins improve heart health and therefore indirectly improve breast cancer survivorship rates as part of decreasing all-cause mortality”, but rather, statins inhibit an enzyme overexpressed in breast cancer and influence cell proliferation, apoptosis, and immune responses.
Metabolic function in general is also important for breast cancer survivorship, though: What Your Metabolism Says About How Aggressive Breast Cancer Is Likely To Be For You
…which is why we also covered The Exercises That Help Keep Breast Cancer At Bay!
Now, previous studies linked statins to lower breast cancer recurrence and death, but may have been biased by factors like immortal time bias (ITB)*, cancer stage, estrogen receptor (ER) status, timing of statin use, and statin type.
*ITB = when survival time is misattributed to a treatment period before a patient actually starts treatment, potentially inflating the perceived benefit.
So, clearly more research was needed! Which is something, by the way, the authors of the aforementioned previous studies also acknowledged—towards the end of almost any decent scientific paper you will usually see two things:
- a list of limitations of the study that was just done (i.e., mentioning the possibility of the above data biases, for example)
- a suggestion (often a tacit plea) for more research in the area, often with examples of what things in particular they’d like to see done
Science is very collaborative like that; there is so much to be done that the only way forward is to share the work done, and not merely pass on the baton, but usually pass on several batons (new lines of research) while still continuing one’s own.
In this case, rather than taking to the lab and getting out the test tubes, the researchers opted for a meta-analysis, which basically means going through everyone else’s research with a fine-toothed comb, pooling data from a large number of studies, and doing some advanced mathematics to determine what conclusions can be made from the data available as a whole.
Think of it like a shell game: if a person hides a pea under one of a set of 3 inverted cups and shuffles them, and then you check under the cup, and the pea’s not there, then you know it’s under one of the other two. If someone else (who hasn’t seen what you saw) is able to look under another cup, and finds the pea is not there either, then they also know it’s under one of the other two that they didn’t check. Alone, you each have a 50% chance of being right about which cup the pea is under, but if you combine your knowledge, you now know more than either of you could have calculated alone.
So, that’s what a meta-analysis does, only it was 34 other separate teams of people most of whom didn’t talk to each other while looking under a combined total of 689,990 cups for the same pea.
With that in mind, some notes:
- What was included: this meta-analysis included 34 studies and 689,990 women with breast cancer; outcomes studied were breast cancer death (21 studies) and recurrence (20 studies) ← notice there is a small overlap because some studied both
- What the data was like: most studies adjusted for age, cancer stage, and other conditions, but only half adjusted for medication use. Follow-ups ranged from under 5 years to 10 years. Five studies were prospective.
- What statins were used and when: 14 studies differentiated between lipophilic and hydrophilic statins (this will be important later); 27 studies looked at post-diagnosis statin use, while others looked at pre-diagnosis or both.
What they found:
- About mortality: statin use was linked to a 20% reduction in breast cancer death risk; lipophilic statins had a stronger protective effect.
- About recurrence: statins were associated with a 24% reduction in recurrence risk; stronger effects seen in ER-positive patients (that is: patients in whom the cancer was made worse by estrogen, because the cancerous cells had estrogen receptors)
With regard to that concern about the potential data biases in the studies: small studies reported larger benefits, but analyses showed results remained valid even after correcting for publication bias.
You can read the paper in full, here: Statin use and breast cancer-specific mortality and recurrence: a systematic review and meta-analysis including the role of immortal time bias and tumour characteristics
Want to learn more?
Check out:
How To Triple Your Breast Cancer Survival Chances, and especially 8 Signs On Your Breast You Shouldn’t Ignore
For those curious about the hormonal side of things, you might consider: The Hormone Therapy That Reduces Breast Cancer Risk & More
And if you want to go deeply into it, then:
The Smart Woman’s Guide to Breast Cancer – by Dr. Jenn Simmons
…is an excellent book on the topic.
Take care!
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Mung Beans vs Black Gram – Which is Healthier?
10almonds is reader-supported. We may, at no cost to you, receive a portion of sales if you purchase a product through a link in this article.
Our Verdict
When comparing mung beans to black gram, we picked the black gram.
Why?
Both are great, and it was close!
In terms of macros, the main difference is that mung beans have slightly more fiber, while black gram has slightly more protein. So, it comes down to which we prioritize out of those two, and we’re going to call it fiber and thus hand the win in this category to mung beans—but it’s very close in either case.
In the category of vitamins, mung beans have more of vitamins B1, B6, and B9, while black gram has more of vitamins A, B2, B3, and B5. They’re equal on vitamins C, E, K, and choline. So, a marginal victory by the numbers for black gram here.
When it comes to minerals, mung beans have more copper and potassium, while black gram has more calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus. They’re equal on selenium and zinc. Another win for black gram.
Adding up the sections makes for an overall win for black gram, but by all means enjoy either or both; diversity is good!
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
What’s Your Plant Diversity Score?
Enjoy!
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What does it mean to be immunocompromised?
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Our immune systems help us fight off disease, but certain health conditions and medications can weaken our immune systems. People whose immune systems don’t work as well as they should are considered immunocompromised.
Read on to learn more about how the immune system works, what causes people to be immunocompromised, and how we can protect ourselves and the immunocompromised people around us from illness.
What is the immune system?
The immune system is a network of cells, organs, and chemicals that helps our bodies fight off infections caused by invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.
Some important parts of the immune system include:
- White blood cells, which attack and kill germs that don’t belong inside our bodies.
- Lymph nodes, which help our bodies filter out germs.
- Antibodies, which help our bodies recognize invaders.
- Cytokines, which tell our immune cells what to do.
What causes people to be immunocompromised?
Some health conditions and medications can prevent our immune systems from functioning optimally, which makes us more vulnerable to infection. Health conditions that compromise the immune system fall into two categories: primary immunodeficiency and secondary immunodeficiency.
Primary immunodeficiency
People with primary immunodeficiency are born with genetic mutations that prevent their immune systems from functioning as they should. There are hundreds of types of primary immunodeficiencies. Since these mutations affect the immune system to varying degrees, some people may experience symptoms and get diagnosed early in life, while others may not know they’re immunocompromised until adulthood.
Secondary immunodeficiency
Secondary immunodeficiency happens later in life due to an infection like HIV, which weakens the immune system over time, or certain types of cancer, which prevent the body from producing enough white blood cells to adequately fight off infection. Studies have also shown that getting infected with COVID-19 may cause immunodeficiency by reducing our production of “killer T-cells,” which help fight off infections.
Sometimes necessary treatments for certain medical conditions can also cause secondary immunodeficiency. For example, people with autoimmune disorders—which cause the immune system to become overactive and attack healthy cells—may need to take immunosuppressant drugs to manage their symptoms. However, the drugs can make them more vulnerable to infection.
People who receive organ transplants may also need to take immunosuppressant medications for life to prevent their body from rejecting the new organ. (Given the risk of infection, scientists continue to research alternative ways for the immune system to tolerate transplantation.)
Chemotherapy for cancer patients can also cause secondary immunodeficiency because it kills the immune system’s white blood cells as it’s trying to kill cancer cells.
What are the symptoms of a compromised immune system?
People who are immunocompromised may become sick more frequently than others or may experience more severe or longer-term symptoms than others who contract the same disease.
Other symptoms of a compromised immune system may include fatigue; digestive problems like cramping, nausea, and diarrhea; and slow wound healing.
How can I find out if I’m immunocompromised?
If you think you may be immunocompromised, talk to your health care provider about your medical history, your symptoms, and any medications you take. Blood tests can determine whether your immune system is producing adequate proteins and cells to fight off infection.
I’m immunocompromised—how can I protect myself from infection?
If you’re immunocompromised, take precautions to protect yourself from illness.
Wash your hands regularly, wear a well-fitting mask around others to protect against respiratory viruses, and ensure that you’re up to date on recommended vaccines.
Immunocompromised people may need more doses of vaccines than people who are not immunocompromised—including COVID-19 vaccines. Talk to your health care provider about which vaccines you need.
How can I protect the immunocompromised people around me?
You never know who may be immunocompromised. The best way to protect immunocompromised people around you is to avoid spreading illnesses.
If you know you’re sick, isolate whenever possible. Wear a well-fitting mask around others—especially if you know that you’re sick or that you’ve been exposed to germs. Make sure you’re up to date on recommended vaccines, and practice regular hand-washing.
If you’re planning to spend time with someone who is immunocompromised, ask them what steps you can take to keep them safe.
For more information, talk to your health care provider.
This article first appeared on Public Good News and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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