Do you really know｜压力真的会导致头发变白吗？
英音听力｜BBC & 经济学人等
Does stress really cause grey hair?
We've all heard the saying, this is giving me grey hair, but is there any truth to it? Actually, yes. Several scientific studies confirm that stress can speed up the process of hair turning white. One such study, published in the journal Nature in 2020, involved Harvard scientists who used mice to explore how stress affects hair pigmentation.
What did they find?
They discovered that melanocytes, the cells responsible for producing melanin, the pigment that gives our hair its colour, are affected by stress. Normally, as we age, melanocytes gradually stop producing melanin, leading to grey hair.
But under stress, research has shown that the nervous system releases hormones that overstimulates these cells. This means that the melanocytes use up their melanin reserves prematurely, and once they're depleted, the hair turns grey or white.
Is there any way to reverse this?
Interestingly, there might be. A 2021 study from Columbia University, published in eLife, suggests that the process could be reversible, at least under certain conditions. The study was small, involving just 14 volunteers aged 35 and older. The researchers monitored their hair using high-resolution scanners and asked them to keep a stress diary over the course of a year.
So what did they find?
They noticed subtle changes in hair colour, sometimes too faint for the naked eye to detect, but seemed to be linked to life events. In one surprising instance, a participant's grey hairs actually turned brown again after taking a holiday. This suggests that grey or white hair may in some cases regain its original colour.
So what's the takeaway?
While this is an exciting find, it doesn't mean we found a cure for grey hair. The study suggests that managing stress through proper diet, sleep and techniques like yoga or meditation might help delay premature greying. But once hair turns white at a certain age, that change is generally irreversible.
Also, keep in mind that other factors play a role in hair whitening such as genetics, hormonal imbalance, autoimmune diseases or even psychological trauma. So the causes of grey hair are often a mix of different influences. There you have it.
词汇表
this is giving me grey hair 这让我愁白了头，这真让我头疼
pigmentation [ˌpɪɡmenˈteɪʃn] n. 色素沉着，着色
melanocyte [ˈmelənəsaɪt] n. 黑素细胞
melanin [ˈmelənɪn] n. 黑色素
pigment [ˈpɪɡmənt] n. 色素，颜料
hormone [ˈhɔːməʊn] n. 激素，荷尔蒙
overstimulate [ˌəʊvəˈstɪmjuleɪt] vt. 过度刺激
reversible [rɪˈvɜːsəbl] adj. 可逆的，可恢复原状的，可反转的
high-resolution scanners [haɪ ˌrezəˈluːʃn ˈskænəz] 高分辨率扫描仪
faint [feɪnt] adj. 微弱的，模糊的，不明显的
yoga [ˈjəʊɡə] n. 瑜伽
meditation [ˌmedɪˈteɪʃn] n. 冥想，沉思
premature greying [ˈpremətʃə(r) ˈɡreɪɪŋ] 过早白发，早白
genetics [dʒəˈnetɪks] n. 遗传学，遗传特征
hormonal imbalance [hɔːˈməʊnl ɪmˈbæləns] 激素失衡，内分泌失调
autoimmune diseases [ˌɔːtəʊɪˈmjuːn dɪˈziːzɪz] 自身免疫性疾病
🪴翻译和pdf见公众号【琐简英语】，回复"1"可进入【打卡交流群】
