Redheads the best at coping with pain

REDHEADS are famous for their fiery tempers, but new research shows they are a lot better than blondes and brunettes at coping with pain.

A team of British scientists is investigating the gene responsible in the hope that it will lead to the development of new anaesthetics and pain killing drugs.

Professor Ian Jackson, from the Medical Research Council’s Human Genetics Unit, is working with “redhead” mice mimicking the same gene mutation.

The mice actually have yellow fur rather than red hair. But like their human counterparts, they seem to have an unusual ability to withstand pain.

“The nature of it is still being worked out, but it does appear that redheads have a significantly decreased pain threshold and require less anaesthetic to block out certain pains,” Prof Jackson said at a science briefing in London.

“Treatment for chronic pain is difficult, for example pain from cancer. It’s difficult to regulate and people are looking for drugs in that area.”