Keto diet study finds muscle stem cells survive stress during short-term fasting
FOX NewsFeb 06, 2022
The Facts
According to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, scientists have discovered that “the loss of chameleon-like function" in melanocyte stem cells, or "McSCs," could be contributing to hair losing its color and turning gray during aging.
Scientists found that as hair ages, sheds, and then grows back, such McSCs get stuck in the bulge region of the hair follicles and lose their ability to regenerate into pigment cells and maintain hair color.
Led by scientists from the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, the study focused on McSCs in mice and discovered the number of hair follicles with stuck melanocyte stem cells increased from 15% in young hair to over half in aging hair.
The Spin
Narrative A
This study fills some gaps in the theories surrounding our understanding of how human hair gets and loses its color. The newfound mechanism for hair turning gray raises the possibility of developing a treatment to prevent graying. It might also help with alopecia areata, a medical condition where the immune system attacks the hair and causes it to fall out.
Narrative B
The study's findings must be taken with a grain of salt since hair is a relatively new area of focus for stem cell research, and we still need to understand whether we can replicate these results in humans. Moreover, while scientists may develop new stem cell therapies to restore our hair color in later life, such treatments can be abused by the multi-billion-dollar global cosmetic industry.
