White hair?

[pineapple]

I've been vegan for about 5 months and was vegetarian for a year before that, and recently I've noticed some white hairs growing in. I'm only 24 so this freaked me out! I don't think it's genetic because my parents say they didn't start going gray until their 40s.

Has anyone else had this experience? Is there a certain nutrient that might be missing from my diet? Thanks!

[Ruby Rose]

There are some medical conditions which cause premature biological ageing - but not a well-balanced vegan diet. If you are concerned, you MUST go and see a doctor.

[Korn]

Stress and worries, genes and diet/nutrition (B12 and other B vitamins) are mentioned several places where white/gray hairs are mentioned... Smoking is often mentioned, and there are even some scientific studies supporting the link between smoking and gray hair, which isn't always the true for the the other claims about what causes gray hair.

Anyway, I just googled the topic for you - here are some of the more or less scientific results I found.


Vegetarian diet helping to reverse gray hair? (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=819049)
Can a Vegan Diet Damage Your Hair? (http://www.vegsource.com/jo/qa/qahair.htm)
Has anyone been able to reverse grey hair? (http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21321)
Is it true that vegatarians get gray hair before meat eaters??!? (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071229225236AAZOCUt)
Grey/white Hair At A Young Age (http://soompi.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t259726.html)
Home Remedies for GREY/WHITE HAIR (http://gleez.com/node/1671)
Grey hair in teenagers (http://www.keratin.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7150)
What Causes Grey Hair (http://hubpages.com/hub/What-Causes-Grey-Hair)
Children and Gray Hair (http://www.drgreene.com/21_30.html)
Natural Remedy to Reduce or Reverse Gray Hair (http://altmedicine.about.com/od/drcathywongsanswers/f/grayhair.htm)
The white/grey hair club (http://www.city-data.com/forum/health-wellness/367328-white-grey-hair-club.html)
What causes hair to turn gray? (http://www.myuniversalfacts.com/2005/09/what-causes-hair-to-turn-gray_22.html)

[Risker]

I don't think it's genetic because my parents say they didn't start going gray until their 40s.


Your parents having certain physical attributes increases the chance of you having them but is not a certainty. The idea that genetic traits can skip a generation is quite right, they can skip several.

On the other hand, I never got any white hairs until after I went vegetarian, but that was 20 years ago and I was only 8 :D

[brucie-g]

I wouldn't worry, I started getting the odd white hair in my early 20's, and back then I was a meat eater.

Now I just shave it all off so it doesn't show! :lol:

Seriously, as long as you haven't got a full head of it it shouldn't be anything to get worked up about.

Besides worrying will only cause more of them to grow!

[BlackCats]

Your parents having certain physical attributes increases the chance of you having them but is not a certainty. The idea that genetic traits can skip a generation is quite right, they can skip several.

Yes that's right. My Mum's side of the family started having white hair in their 30's and my Dad only went a bit grey after he turned 50. I haven't had any white hair yet. A guy at my college started going grey at about 18 years old.

[hullabaloo]

Well I am in my early 20's and have loads of grey hair (I call it silver as it sounds nicer lol). I have put it down to genetics, since my gran on my dad's side was apparantly pure white in her 20's. I have been dying my hair for ages. Will have a look at those links...

[pineapple]

Thanks everybody, I feel a little better now! Those links had some interesting information- I think I might try incorporating more wheatgrass in my diet to see if it's really possible to reverse color loss. Has anyone tried this? Also I think the B12 thing could be an issue - I have to remember to take my supplements!

[hullabaloo]

After reading the links I have decided I am going to try supplementing more often with b12 and also eat more raw foods than I presently do. Going to cut out fizzy drinks and rubbish that I eat. Who knows if it'll help the grey hair but at least it will be healthy.

[Jiffy]

I started going grey in my twenties my son who is 24 is going the same way.

[Hemlock]

I'm badger stripes and my hair stays dyed at all times :) I let them grow out naturally once and it was incredibly ageing.