Ginger Genes: Red Hairs Look Young For A Longer Time, Study Says

Red hair has been found to have the secret to the fountain of youth. This is according to scientists from the Erasmus University Medical Centre and Unilever. They were able to discover that mutations in the human genome, which affects the perceived age of a person are also the same mutations which cause red hair.

The red hair is also the result of the melanin formed through MC1R, or the ginger gene, which protects people from UV radiation and sun exposure. Aside from this, the gene helps people look younger than their real age, with an average of a couple years younger, based on the findings published in the journal Current Biology.

The findings also revealed that blonde hair, blue and other light colored eyes, including paler pigmentation, were viewed as younger than their actual age. This was discovered when thousands of images of people with no makeup changed their appearance. From almost 3,000 images, it was found that 2,693 of them had a single genetic sign in common, which is the ginger gene. However, the researchers failed to explain exactly how the ginger gene provides the person their fountain of youth or how they look youthful in others' eyes. Nonetheless, the research study was impressive, Telegraph reported.

Erasmus Professor Manfred Kayser said in an interview that the exciting part of the study was when they discovered the gene and that finding the first could mean they could still find more. Kayser further explained that this was due to its being a famous phenomenon that has never been explained.

However, other scientists are still weighing in on the discovery. According to University of Exter Professor Tim Frayling, while the findings indicate how genetics could influence the ageing process, there is also a need to determine more genetic types to have any opportunity of guessing a person's look based on the DNA, BBC reported.

Though a lot of work is still required, the researchers believe that their work would later bring more development to boost the impacts of MC1R, hence making people look more youthful.