With an aging population of baby boomers and a culture that equates youth with beauty, gray hair has become an increasingly important issue in recent years. As with most appearance-related issues, the color of your hair can be affected by your diet. Whether you wish to delay the appearance of gray hair, prevent its spread or return to your natural hair color, modern nutritional science offers a number of possible solutions for those who see gray hair as a problem.
Pantothenic Acid
Pantothenic acid was first recognized as a potential prevention and cure for hair depigmentation, the process by which your hair loses its natural color and turns gray, in the late 1930s. Also known as vitamin B5, pantothenic acid can be found in high concentrations in a number of foods, such as whole-grain cereals, avocado and yogurt.
Copper and Iron
Iron deficiency has been linked to decreased hair pigmentation, with graying of the hair appearing sooner and growing more rapidly among anemic individuals. Copper deficiencies have also been linked to decreased hair pigmentation, with increased copper consumption linked to both preventing and ceasing graying of the hair. Both copper and iron can be found in abundance in liver and enriched cereals. Additional iron-rich foods include clams, mussels, beans and lentils, while nuts, seeds and chickpeas can serve as great sources of copper.
Umbelliferae Plants
Recent research has found the roots of plants from the umbelliferae family, which includes angelica, coriander and hemlock, to increase pigmentation. Compounds called coumarins have been attributed with the effect that these plants have on ceasing and potentially reversing the graying process. Though the above examples are widely available, less common and more potent sources such as dokkatsu and joshashi can be found in Chinese markets and herbal remedy shops.
Piper Plants
Like the umbelliferae family, plants from the piper genus have been shown to slow, cease and even reverse the graying process. By inhibiting the action of an enzyme that reduces testosterone production, plants from this genus have been linked to slowing both hair loss and hair depigmentation. Many peppers belong to this family, including black pepper, Javan pepper and long pepper, with other sources including betel leaves and kava.
References
- Journal of Nutrition: Pantothenic Acid in the Nutrition of the Rat
- Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin: Melanogenesis Stimulation in Murine B16 Melanoma Cells by Umberiferae Plant Extracts and Their Coumarin Constituents
- Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin: Testosterone 5a-Reductase Inhibitory Active Constituents of Piper nigrum Leaf
- Copper: Copper in Human Health
- Health Castle: Iron Rich Foods for Iron Deficiency Anemia
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