Form of Pigment Adds to Redheads’ Cancer Risk
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Redheads sunburn easily, but that may not be the only reason they are at high risk of skin cancer.
Researchers from Duke University reported this week at an American Chemical Society meeting that redheads had an unusual form of the pigment melanin that produces many more highly reactive free radicals than other melanins when exposed to ultraviolet light. The free radicals damage DNA, causing mutations that can lead to skin cancer.
Blonds also have the pigment, but not as much as redheads.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
