Iron deficiency can also lead to grey hair. Iron is a vital mineral that helps create haemoglobin – the substance found in RBCs. Lacking an adequate amount of iron means lesser blood cells, which leads to insufficient oxygen supply to your scalp. Naturally, this causes grey hair at a young age.
Although the primary cause of premature hair graying (PHG) is considered to be genetic, certain environmental factors also play a role. Trace element deficiencies such as Vitamin B12, Vitamin D3, and calcium may also be associated with PHG.
To avoid hair thinning and greying, iron and copper are one of the most essential nutrients. In fact, one independent anecdotal study proposed that sufficient levels of iron and copper may help in preventing early greying. Around 8 to 10 mg a day of iron and about 1000 to 1200 mcg of copper are needed per day.
If your hair lacks particular nutrients, it can cause premature greying. These include vitamin B12, folate, copper and iron deficiencies. Having supplements may help with the deficiencies and with the time you might see your colour coming back to normal.
Again, this is because your hair is non-essential tissue. If your ferritin is low, try not to worry — your doctor can prescribe an iron supplement. Hair loss due to low ferritin is entirely reversible, and relatively easy to correct.
Premature graying may be reversed with vitamin B12 supplementation only if vitamin B12 deficiency is the cause. If you are graying due to other factors, such as genetics, zinc deficiency, and medications, your gray hair cannot be reversed.
Hair loss caused by iron deficiency can look like traditional pattern baldness – a noticeable increase in the number of hairs left on a brush or on the shower floor. In fact, unless a patient is medically diagnosed with an iron deficiency, they may chalk it up to just another sign of aging.
Iron deficiency can potentially trigger a type of hair loss called telogen effluvium, where intense physical stress or illness causes widespread thinning of the hair in both men and women.
Tiredness, seemingly unexplainable weight gain and headaches can all be symptoms of iron deficiency.
Your hair follicles produce less color as they age, so when hair goes through its natural cycle of dying and being regenerated, it's more likely to grow in as gray beginning after age 35. Genetics can play a role in when this starts.
Any deficiencies of vitamin B-6, B-12, biotin, vitamin D, or vitamin E can contribute to premature graying.
There isn't a lot of medical data to back it up, but some research does show that magnesium deficiency may be behind some (not all) causes of gray hair. If this is the cause of your greying, then making sure your magnesium stores are optimal could stop or even reverse the greying of your hair.
B-6 may help restore hair to its original color following an illness or deficiency. Para-Amino benzoic Acid (PABA) and Pantothenic Acid are part of the family of B-complex vitamins. Both of these vitamins are available at health food stores and pharmacies. Use them to postpone the onset of graying.
They found that noradrenaline, also known as norepinephrine, was key to stress-induced hair graying. By injecting noradrenaline under the skin of unstressed mice, the researchers were able to cause melanocyte stem cell loss and hair graying. Noradrenaline is produced mostly by the adrenal glands.
The connection between low iron, body weight, and hemoglobin is apparent when low energy makes exercising and burning calories difficult, causing weight gain. Conversely, iron deficiency anemia may contribute to decreased appetite, resulting in weight loss.
A large 2020 study in BMC Psychiatry found that people with iron deficiency anemia had a significantly higher incidence and risk of anxiety disorders, depression, sleep disorder, and psychotic disorders.
– It usually takes 2 to 3 weeks of taking regular iron supplements before your symptoms start to improve. – You may need to keep taking iron for several months to build up your iron reserves and keep your anemia from returning. Take your pills for as long as your doctor recommends, even if your symptoms have improved.
An iron deficiency will cause strands to feel brittle and coarse.
A white person is considered to be prematurely gray if their hair turns gray by age 20; gray before 30 is early for Blacks.
A new study shows that stress really can give you gray hair. Researchers found that the body's fight-or-flight response plays a key role in turning hair gray. Your hair color is determined by pigment-producing cells called melanocytes.