Health: Are men with red hair at lower risk of prostate cancer?

Scientific research suggests that men with ginger hair may be less likely to develop prostate cancer, but why?

As we already know, the MC1R gene is quite something to scientists. Otherwise known as ‘the ginger gene’, it has been thought to make redheads: feel pain differently, be more resistant to anaesthetic, and keep them from going grey (known as ‘achromotrichia‘). So there’s a lot to unwrap with these genetics.

Published online in the British Journal of Cancer, the study, conducted by Finland’s National Institute for Health and Medicine and the US National Cancer Institute, looked at long-term results of research that began in the late 1980s.

The study, which looked at more than 20,000 men, found that showed that having natural red hair made them 54% less likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Of the 20,000 men in the study, it was found that 1,982 have since developed prostate cancer. From these results, it was subsequently calculated that men with red hair are 54% less likely to develop prostate cancer than other hair shades.

It is thought that this result could be related to the fact that, because of redheads’ tendency of having fair skin, they generate more vitamin D compared to those with brown, blonde, black, or other hair colours, when exposed to lower levels of UV. The connection between these two factors would make sense, considering the fact that low vitamin D levels are said to increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Scientists also think that the MC1R gene has adapted and may assist with helping to control the way some cells divide, develop, and grow.

Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Prostate Cancer UK, noted that: ‘This research does indicate an association between having naturally red hair, and a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer.”

Subsequent to the study, however, researchers did stress that only 1% of the men studied had red hair, compared to more than 40% with light brown hair. And if you have any concerns about prostate cancer, do not hesitate in getting checked by a medical professional, and seek advice.

Further studies are said to be underway concerning the relationship between red hair and prostate cancer, in the hope to trace other connections between the ginger gene and the risk of prostate cancer.