Does stress cause gray hair?
Sort of.
It’s not the kind of stress you feel when you’re in a high pressure job or trying to come up with an entertaining health blog post.
It’s something called cell stress.
That’s because DNA is “under constant attack” by damaging agents, such as chemicals, ultraviolet light, and ionizing radiation, according to study lead author Emi Nishimura of Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
A single mammal cell can encounter up to 100,000 events a day that damage DNA, Nishimura added in a statement.
The stem cells within hair follicles responsible for color are the most impacted by this irreparable DNA weathering.
