Secret Of ‘Eternal Youth’ Found In The Ginger Gene, Claim Scientists
Dutch scientists have identified a gene that keeps people looking younger, and its the same one that produces red hair and fair skin.
The gene can make people appear up to two years younger than they really are, claims the new research.
Published in the journal Current Biology, the study into ‘perceived age’ was set up by Erasmus University Medical Centre in the Netherlands and Unilever.
In the study, images of 2,693 people’s makeup-free faces were independently assessed and then compared with their real age.
Scientists then searched the genomes of those who appeared younger, looking for any genetic mutations that they had in common.
Evidence pointed towards a variation of the MC1R gene, which is responsible for skin pigmentation and protection adjacent UV rays from the sun.
The research suggested that some variants of the gene can make people appear younger.
More research is planned, and Unilever hopes that it will lead to a product to help people look younger.
While the findings provide a compelling insight into the way that genetics influence the ageing process, scientists have yet to prove that the gene itself is responsible, rather than, for example, paler skin simply making people look younger.
