Young people are experiencing rapid graying of hair? Find out the 8 main culprits of Juvenile Whiteness! Nutritionist Lin Shihang: 8 key nutrients to get rid of "whitehead"

Why do some people start to have gray hair at the young age of less than 25, commonly known as premature graying, making them look much older than their actual age? If young people do not want to be old men, they should not only develop a regular life, reduce stress in life, avoid staying up late, but also pay attention to their daily diet. What are the risk factors that lead to gray hair? What are the key nutrients that can improve gray hair? Let’s hear what nutritionist Lin Shihang has to say.

Juvenile whiteness is divided into two major directions: congenital and acquired

Juvenile graying is also known as "premature graying", commonly known as juvenile graying. If Asians have gray hair before the age of 25, it can be defined as juvenile graying. As for the causes of premature graying, they can be roughly divided into two categories: congenital causes and acquired causes:

Congenital causes:

Congenital causes are related to family genetic genes. Clinically, it has been found that about 70% of juvenile vitiligo is due to congenital inheritance. If both parents have this problem, there is a high chance that you will also have juvenile vitiligo.

Acquired reasons:

The latter may be due to certain specific diseases, including thyroid disease, severe anemia, nutritional deficiencies, or bad living habits. For example, staying up late, smoking, excessive drinking, emotional stress, and the body being in a state of chronic inflammation for a long time can easily cause an increase in free radicals in the body, thereby damaging melanocytes, making it impossible to produce melanin, and thus causing gray hair.

Why do we have gray hair?

Melanocytes in normal hair follicles secrete melanin to keep the hair black. When the melanocytes are damaged or lack the raw materials for melanin, the hair color will become lighter and gradually turn white.

The main reasons for melanocyte damage are excessive oxidative stress, poor blood circulation leading to insufficient blood oxygen in the scalp, or damage to the DNA itself. Therefore, if your parents or grandparents in the family have premature graying problem (Asians have gray hair before the age of 25), or if their melanocytes are damaged due to stress in life, smoking, alcoholism, or excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, you will have gray hair problem.

The following is a detailed explanation of the eight common causes of premature graying:

8 common causes of premature graying

Nutritionist Lin Shihang said that the damage to melanocytes is mainly due to excessive oxidative stress, poor blood circulation leading to insufficient blood oxygen in the scalp, or damage to the DNA itself. Therefore, if your parents or grandparents in the family have premature graying problem (Asians have gray hair before the age of 25), or if their melanocytes are damaged due to stress in life, smoking, alcoholism, or excessive exposure to ultraviolet light, you will have gray hair problem.

In addition, the lack of some nutrients (such as vitamin B12, copper, iron, zinc, etc.) can also lead to insufficient melanin raw materials, and some chemotherapy and antimalarial drugs will inhibit the enzymes in melanocytes and reduce melanin production, which is also one of the causes of gray hair. Here are 8 key nutrients to improve gray hair:

8 key nutrients to improve gray hair

Vitamin B12:

Although the specific mechanism is still unclear, studies have found that a lack of vitamin B12 can easily lead to premature gray hair. The main speculation is that this is because vitamin B12 is related to hematopoiesis, and a deficiency can easily lead to pernicious anemia, resulting in a lack of sufficient blood oxygen in the scalp.

What to eat: Mostly animal ingredients, such as clams, pork liver, and dairy products.

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C helps the body fight oxidation and reduce oxidative stress and damage to the scalp.

Food you can eat: guava, sweet pepper, bitter melon, kiwi fruit, broccoli.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D has the function of regulating immunity and inflammation. Studies have found that a lack of vitamin D is prone to premature graying of hair.

Dietary options: dried mushrooms, salmon, eel, eggs, fortified milk.

Vitamin D has the function of regulating immunity and inflammation. Studies have found that a lack of vitamin D is prone to premature graying of hair.

protein:

Nails and hair are both made of keratin. If the body lacks protein, hair loss is likely to occur.

Diet: Beans, fish, eggs, meat and dairy products are all good sources of protein. It is recommended to eat a palm-sized amount of meat at each meal, and drink a glass of milk in the morning and evening to supplement protein and calcium.

copper:

It is the raw material for synthesizing melanin, which helps to keep hair black.

Dietary options: black sesame, oysters, dark chocolate, and unrefined grains.

iron:

The raw material for synthesizing hemoglobin helps promote blood circulation in the scalp and also affects the production of melanin.

Food you can eat: pig blood, pig liver, dried shredded vegetables, red amaranth, and clams.

calcium:

It helps in the production of melanin. Studies have found that calcium deficiency can lead to gray hair problems. Past studies have also used calcium pantothenate to help improve premature gray hair problems.

Food you can eat: cheese, dried tofu, sesame seeds, dried fish, and milk.

Zinc: Zinc affects the production of melanin, and its deficiency will also hinder the growth of hair and nails.

Diet: oysters, beef, pumpkin seeds, whole grains (wheat germ, oats).

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