The study examined DNA taken from saliva samples given by 5,000 people from across Britain. The true rate of ginger genes has been revealed by early results from a project called BritainsDNA, which has harnessed scientific expertise from Edinburgh University. The genes may, however, be at work in other ways that could profoundly affect our health.
Now a ground-breaking study of more than 5,000 British people’s DNA indicates that around four in ten of us carry the genes that make hair red - only they are not switched on to influence hair colour: they are ‘recessive’. In England, 6 per cent of people have red hair in Scotland, the rate is estimated at 13 per cent.Īcross the rest of Europe the figure is only around 4 per cent. While this does not turn their hair ginger, it may expose them to a range of increased health risks that afflict redheads, such as increased sensitivity to pain, skin cancer, Parkinson’s disease and even Tourette’s syndrome. Research to be released this week indicates millions of Britons carry ‘silent’ genes for redheadedness. In England, 6 per cent of people have red hairĪre you a redhead, but don’t even know it?
