© Kevin Dodge/CorbisGrey matter: Stress really can lead to those silver strands
They have got to the root of how the 'fight or flight chemical' adrenaline causes damage that may eventually lead to a variety of conditions from the superficial, such as grey hair, to the serious, such as cancer.
The research is still at an early stage but it could one day lead to drugs that help counter some of the medical problems caused by always being under pressure.
The drugs may also have the power to stop people going prematurely grey.
While some view salt-and-pepper locks as a sign of distinction, others worry that it adds years on to their age and makes them stand out from the crowd for all the wrong reasons.
The new hope comes from U.S. researchers who worked out how the stress hormone adrenaline wreaks havoc on the body.
During brief but intense periods of stress, adrenaline is beneficial as it prepares the body to fight or flee.
But when the stress goes on and on, it can start to take its toll on the DNA at the very core of our being.
To work out why, the researchers infused mice with adrenaline over several weeks to mimic the effects of being under long-term stress.
Levels of a key anti-cancer protein called p53 fell.
This is important because p53, sometimes nicknamed 'the guardian of the genome', usually springs into action when DNA is damaged, allowing potentially cancerous cells to carry out repairs or, if this isn't possible, commit suicide.
DNA damage is also thought to impact on the cells that go on to produce the pigment in hair.
© Getty Images/3D4Medical.comStress can take its toll on DNA which is thought to impact on the cells that produce pigment in hair
His experiments, detailed in the journal Nature, also showed that a molecule called beta-arresting 1 contributed to the problems.
At some point in the future, it is possible that a drug that stops this molecule from working may counter the effects of stress, from going grey to being at higher odds of getting cancer.
The team is planning future studies in which mice are placed under physical stress to see if this has the same effect as being dosed with adrenaline.
A previous British study blamed grey hair on too much bleach.
The Bradford University study found that wear and tear on our bodies leads to dangerously high levels of hydrogen peroxide building up in the roots of our hair, blocking the production of pigment.
Most Britons spot their first grey hairs around the age of 25, with genetics, alcohol, smoking and diet joining stress in the list of factors that increase the odds.
Seems the term 'chronic' stress, or long term stress needs a better definition, as some are born into a childhood of this catalyst while others are not. Others only get to enjoy such catalyst later in life. Is it better to deal with life's challenges early or late? If you've encountered such challenges before on a long term basis, it does make all those that follow seem rather mute by comparison don't you think?
I wonder if this pressure isn't really a question of how one handles it. You may not be able to stop the pressure but 'being under the gun' does condition you to those conditions so that, like a drowning man, you learn to float or swim or you sink, which can be a short or long term situation as well. Either way, it seems a question of how much stress one can handle without cracking up within even as the protective shell crumbles around you.
Isn't the only real way to reduce one's stress a matter of dealing with one's problems? Meditation et al, can help, but not end the pain, only the self can, with or without help, for in the end, it is the individual that needs to deal with their stress, and a little grey or even a lot might seem worth it in the end... when one can again breath and look back. Does it affect the DNA? One would hope having to deal with such chronically stressful situations in life, young or old, would serve some useful purpose, deliver some gestaltic gain in life at some point. Perhaps such long term stress conditions the self to the reality around us and the younger you get your 'medicine' the better? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right? Can it deliver crippling results along the way? Most likely, but 'no pain, no gain' right?
One suggestion would be some research into the fact that the same 'stressful conditions' affect some rather strongly, while others seem not to even notice. Are they too stressed out to even feel, or don't they feel? It seems all paths lead to the same questions and answers.