A study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine (USA), published in the journal Nature Genetics , reveals that people with blue or green eyes are less likely to suffer from vitiligo , an autoimmune disease in which defenses attack to normal pigment cells, which manifests itself in the appearance of irregular spots on the skin and hair . However, having light eyes implies a higher risk of developing skin cancer , specifically melanoma , than having brown eyes.
The researchers reached these conclusions after studying more than 3,000 Europeans and identifying a total of 13 genes that predispose to vitiligo. And since it was genetically known that vitiligo and melanoma are somewhat "opposite" diseases, the researchers also looked at the relationship between eye color and the possibility of developing cancer. "Some of the genetic variations that make a person more prone to this autoimmune disease are related to a lower risk of melanoma, and vice versa," says Richar Spritz, a co-author of the research.
