IT is normal for hair colour to change as people age. But white hair can appear at almost any time in life. Even teenagers and people in their 20s may notice strands of white hair.
The human body has millions of hair follicles or small sacs lining the skin. The follicles generate hair and colour or pigment cells that contain melanin. Over time, hair follicles lose pigment cells, resulting in white hair colour.
Greying of hair also called canities or achromotrichia occurs with normal ageing. Between 45 and 65 years of age, 74% of people were affected by grey hair with a mean intensity of 27%. Men harboured significantly more grey hair than women.
While being under stress can’t change the colour of individual strands of hair, stress can trigger a common condition called telogen effluvium, which causes hair to shed about three times faster than normal.
The hair grows back, so the condition doesn’t cause balding. But if you’re middle-aged and your hair is falling out and regenerating more quickly because of stress, the hair that grows in maybe grey instead of its original colour.
Causes of white hair
There can be many causes besides age that result in a person’s hair turning white.
Vitamin deficiencies
White and grey hairs may start to grow at any age, and may be caused by a range of different factors. Any deficiencies of vitamin B-6, B-12, biotin, vitamin D or vitamin E can contribute to premature greying.
One 2015 report in the journal Development notes various deficiency studies on vitamin D-3, vitamin B-12, and copper and their connection to greying hair. It finds nutritional deficiencies affect pigmentation, suggesting colour can return with vitamin supplementation.
Vitamin B-12 deficiency is one of the most common causes of prematurely greying hair. Researchers have noted that vitamin B-12 deficiencies are often concurrent with folic acid and biotin deficiencies in people whose hair has started to turn grey early.
This study unveils the association between Vitamin B12, folic acid, and biotin deficiencies. This finding suggests that the nutrient also affects melanin production in the hair follicles.
Oxidative stress
While greying is mostly genetic, oxidative stress in the body may play a part when the process happens prematurely. Oxidative stress causes imbalances when antioxidants are not enough to counteract the damaging effects of free radicals.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage cells, contributing to ageing and disease.
It was found that patients with premature greying hair had a higher level of pro-oxidants and lower levels of antioxidants.
Certain medical conditions
Some medical conditions, including autoimmune diseases, may increase a person’s risk for greying early. Research published in 2008 showed a connection between hair abnormalities and thyroid dysfunction.
White hair is also common in alopecia areata, an autoimmune skin condition that causes hair loss on the scalp, face and other parts of the body. When the hair grows back, it tends to be white due to melanin deficiency.
Stressful lifestyle
It is commonly thought that stress may lead to hair becoming white prematurely. However, studies have not conclusively proved this. There are conflicting research studies on real-life stress, such as that caused by injury, leading to premature greying.
A study from New York University, reported in Nature Medicine, finds that the cells responsible for hair colour can be depleted when the body is under stress. Other studies indicate that while stress may play a part, it is only a small part of a bigger picture where disease and other factors contribute.
Smoking
A study from 2013 reported in the Italian Dermatology Online Journal, shows that smokers are 2 1/2 times more likely to start greying before age 30 than non-smokers.
This 2013 study also suggests that there is a significant relationship between the onset of grey hair before the age of 30 and cigarette smoking.
A 2015 study in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology also demonstrated that smoking is linked to premature white hair in young men.
Prevention and reversing premature white hair
If genetics or ageing is the cause, nothing can prevent or reverse the process. However, treating greying hair could allow colour pigmentation to return if the loss is due to a medical condition.
When diet and vitamin deficiencies are the cause of prematurely white hair, correcting these may reverse the problem or stop it from worsening.
Eating a balanced diet and addressing nutritional deficiencies
A person’s diet plays a part in preventing white hair. A diet rich in antioxidants can reduce oxidative stress. Eating a diet with lots of antioxidant-rich foods, including colourful fresh vegetables and fruits, may help to prevent hair from greying.
Calcium, copper, iron, protein (keratin), B vitamins (B5, B6, folate, B12), vitamin D, zinc are also important in prevention.
Anyone who has white hair resulting from a vitamin deficiency should consume more foods loaded with those vitamins.
Keratin is a type of protein that is present in surface cells. When keratin proteins break down in the hair follicles, this can lead to hair loss and pigmentation changes, among other issues.
You cannot eat keratin, per se, but ensuring that you get enough protein in your diet can allow your body to extract amino acids and turn them into keratin.
Copper
Scientists are zeroing in on specific nutrient deficiencies related to grey hair. Your body requires copper to produce pigment for your skin and hair. Copper-rich foods include dark leafy greens, nuts, beans, shellfish and fruits such as avocado, bananas, tomatoes and grapes.
Folate and B-12
The B vitamins work together to help your body perform various physiological functions. Of these functions, B vitamins help produce DNA, the building blocks of your entire body.
Significantly, folate and B-12 act synergistically so your body can produce red blood cells and the proteins necessary to repair and build your body.
Greying hair is a common side effect of folate and or B-12 deficiency. Folate is abundant in leafy greens, beans and legumes, poultry and citrus fruit. You can obtain B-12 from animal foods such as fish, beef, eggs and shellfish – especially oysters, clams and mussels.
The World Health Organisation states that a healthy diet that is rich in antioxidants contains at least 400g, or five portions, of fruits and vegetables a day. Try to eat a rainbow of different coloured fruits and vegetables every day to get the full range of health benefits.
Antioxidant-rich foods mean eating a rainbow.
The bottom line
While diet and an overall healthy lifestyle can help minimise grey hairs, there is only so much that you can do to control the natural loss of melanin in your hair follicles. There is also a significant genetic component to greying hair.
If your parents dealt with premature greys, the chances are that you will too. Still, this does not mean that you cannot try to slow down the greying process.
Just remember that if a supplement or alternative treatments sound too good to be true, then that is probably the case. You should address any concerns about premature greys or hair loss with a qualified doctor or physician.
You can also consult a qualified and experienced dietitian to address any nutritional issues or vitamin deficiencies. – The Vibes, November 9, 2022
