The Science Behind the Enzyme Catalase

More evidence has been found supporting catalase research as an effective means of fighting gray hair.

Recent research, published on several media outlets including Discovery News, MSN, and the Huffington Post, has brought catalase back in the spotlight in the fight against gray hair. Catalase is an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide naturally forming in the body. So as we get older, catalase levels lessen, which creates increased amounts of hydrogen peroxide.  Then, this causes oxidative stress, and what can be seen as gray hair. Hydrogen peroxide is known and used as a bleaching solution, particularly for dying hair blonde, but with increasing levels in the scalp, it might be bleaching the hair from the inside out, effecting the pigment of our hair to appear gray.

A group of European researchers asserts that they have found the root cause of gray hair in their research published earlier this month.  But not only have they made this claim, the researchers have found a treatment for the condition.  Their research shows that the treatment can also be used for a condition known as vitiligo, a skin condition causing a loss of pigment in areas of the skin and eyelashes.

The study, involving 2,411 people diagnosed with vitiligo, found that oxidative stress, or increased levels of hydrogen peroxide in the body was causing the condition known as vitiligo.  A topical treatment was then administered, containing the enzyme catalase.  The effect was a successful one, treating the afflicted skin and eyelashes of those in the study.  The article details the process more specifically:

By looking at people with two different kinds of vitiligo — strictly segmental vitiligo (SSV) and non-segmental vitiligo (NSV) — they discovered that both kinds resulted from oxidative stress….And by applying a topical treatment, a substance called PC-KUS, the researchers successfully treated the discolored skin and eyelashes of people with vitiligo.

To read the entire article, please click here.

http://news.discovery.com/human/health/has-science-cured-gray-hair-130506.htm

The study successfully supports that the enzyme catalase is a possibly effective gray hair treatment.  It was not clear if the topical treatment will be available for public use, but there are gray hair removal products on the market already utilizing catalase.  For instance, No Gray Hairs’ Catalase XP uses the enzyme as the foundational element of their gray hair fighting system.

For more information visit http://www.nograyhairs.com/.