They may be the target of some (hopefully good-natured) ribbing from our friends in the UK, but red-haired people – or gingers, as they are commonly called – could ultimately end up having the last laugh, according to new research published in the journal Current Biology.
According to BBC News and NHS Choices, researchers from the Beijing Institute of Genomics in China, Erasmus MC University Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands, the University of Leeds in the UK, and Unilever wanted to find out why some men and women are able to stay looking young while others don’t age gracefully.
They found mutations in the MC1R gene, the part of human DNA responsible for protecting our bodies from UV radiation, that appeared to have an impact on how old or young people appeared to be. In all, the authors found four DNA sequence variants in the MC1R gene that they linked to perceived facial age – variants already associated with red hair color and pale skin.
The researchers are hopeful that their work will lead to an enhanced understanding of the biology of youthful appearance, and could potentially even result in new anti-aging treatments. However, the NHS cautions that such breakthroughs are still a long-way off, and that the new study fails to take into factors such as smoking, that could also impact how old we look.
Authors hopeful findings will lead to new anti-aging treatments
As part of their experiment, the researchers had the make-up free facial images of 2,693 people independently analyzed to see what age that people thought they looked like, according to BBC News. These measurements were then compared to their true age, and then each subject’s DNA was searched for variations in those who appeared to be younger than they really were.
The analysis found that the MC1R gene, which produces melanin (the substance that determines a person’s skin pigmentation and protects against the sun’s UV rays), was the most likely source of this youthful appearance. In fact, the study suggested that men and women with some of these genetic variants appeared to be an average of two years younger than those with other types.
While the researchers said they could not explain the reason why MC1R would have this kind of an effect, study co-author and Erasmus professor Manfred Kayser told BBC News, “The exciting part is we actually found the gene, and that we did…means we will be able to find more,” adding that it is “exciting” because “this is a well known phenomenon that so far cannot be explained – why do some people look so much younger?”
Dr. David Gunn, a senior scientist with Unilever, said that he and his colleagues hoped that their discovery would eventually lead to new anti-aging products that could help people maintain their youthful appearance, but that more research would be needed before that would be possible.
What do the results of the study REALLY say?
But have they truly discovered that red-haired people tend to have a more youthful appearance? Professor Ian Jackson of the UK Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit told BBC News that the study was interesting, but that he was “not so sure” about the conclusion that the MC1R gene had an impact on youthful appearance.
“MC1R is the major gene involved in red hair and pale skin, and what they’re trying to say is it’s got an impact on making you look slightly younger that isn’t to do with paler skin,” he said. “My gut reaction is what they’re looking at is an aspect of pigmentation. I would suspect people who have paler pigmentation would look younger and that might be paler skin or bluer eyes or blonde or red hair.”
Dr. Gunn and his colleagues said that they did account for different skin tone, and the NHS said that the association appeared to be consistent regardless of sun exposure and skin color, but was not as strong with those with darker skin tones. However, they caution against reading too much into the results, and say that reports that the study proves that ginger people look younger are not accurate.
“The findings will undoubtedly provide a valuable contribution to the science of aging, but we shouldn’t assume that DNA sequence variants in the MC1R gene give the whole answer. There are likely to be many other unexplored genetic variants that have a link with aging, maybe with greater or less of an effect than the variants studied here,” they said, adding that lifestyle choices also play a major role in our appearance, no matter how old we are.
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Image credit: Thinkstock
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