This is Why You Have Gray Hair

After age 30, there is a 10% to 20% chance that your hair will start to gray.¹ It’s a fact of life that, eventually, virtually everyone will go gray.

Melanin, a pigment responsible for hair color, is what gives it its name. There may be a combination of dark melanin, (eumelanin), and light melanin, (pheomelanin), in each hair. These blend together to create the various shades of hair color.

When you’re young, special pigment stem cells called melanocytes inject pigment into keratin-containing cells.

Keratin is a protein that gives hair its color. As you age, melanin is reduced, which is why your hair turns gray and, ultimately, white (this means there’s no melanin left).²

Scientists Find a Gene Linkage to Graying Hair

The mystery surrounding melanin and the causes of gray hair has remained a mystery for a long time. A global team of researchers discovered the first gene that is linked to gray hair.

This study included a genome-wide scan of more than 6000 Latin Americans in order to identify genes that are related to facial and scalp hair features, such as graying, balding and monobrow thickness.³

One gene linked to blonde hair in Europeans was found to also be responsible for gray hair. This gene was identified among study participants and accounts for approximately 30% of gray hair.

The rest of the 70 percent could be explained by factors like age, stress, and environment. Researchers plan to explore ways to modify this genetic pathway in order to prevent hair from turning grey (including using drugs which I wouldn’t recommend for the purpose of changing hair color). TIME interviewed Kaustubh Adhikari Ph.D. as a postdoctoral research fellow at University College London.⁴

“We might have drugs that boost or stop the protein from acting and change the amount of melanin in hair follicles and change the hair internally … So once the hair comes out like the way you want, you don’t have [to] go out and buy dyes.”

Is your hair unique? ‘Biological Clock?’

Desmond Tobin (Ph.D.), professor of Cell Biology at the University of Bradford in England suggests that your hair follicles might be controlled by a “melanogentic clock” That eventually slows down melanocyte activity. The Library of Congress also states:⁵

“… Tobin suggests that hair turns gray because of age and genetics, in that genes regulate the exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of each individual hair follicle. This occurs at different rates in different hair follicles. For some people it occurs rapidly, while in others it occurs slowly over several decades.”

It’s known, for instance, that white people may start going gray in their mid-30s, while Asians typically go gray beginning in their late 30s. African Americans typically don’t go gray until their mid-40s.⁶

What Causes Gray Hair?

Hair can also turn gray due to other factors such as:

Premature gray hair can be a sign that there are health problems

It’s thought that going prematurely gray is largely genetic; if you have family members who turned gray early on, there’s a chance you might too.

Obesity is also associated with premature graying,¹³ It could also be a sign of health problems. Premature graying of the hair could be a sign that you are at high risk for osteopenia, a bone condition.

Research published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism shows that those with premature graying and no other known risk factor are 4.4 times more likely than those without.¹⁴ Researchers suggested that:

“The association between premature graying and low bone mass could be related to genes that control peak bone mass or factors that regulate bone turnover.”

Thyroid disorders, anemia and vitiligo have also been linked to premature graying, and it’s even been associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in young smokers. Researchers found:¹⁵

“Premature graying of hair can be used as preliminary evidence by clinicians for classifying patients at risk for premature CAD especially in smokers.”

Is Stress a Cause of Gray Hair?

It’s commonly believed that stress causes gray hairs (and many parents of teenagers or former presidents, whose hair often turns gray during office would likely attest to that). Science has not been able to address this issue well, aside from a Nature 2011 study led by Nobel Prize winner Robert Lefkowitz.¹⁶

The study revealed that chronic stress and activation of the brain are associated with increased risk for developing depression. “fight or flight” Stress can cause DNA damage, which may lead to aging, cancer, and neuropsychiatric conditions, as well as miscarriages. It also affects genes that control hair pigment.

Scientists Discover 2 Potential ‘Cures’ Gray Hair

Researchers believe that researchers are moving closer to finding a treatment for gray hair. Scientists at New York University’s Langone Medical Center, for instance, isolated the Wnt protein, which coordinates pigmentation between melanocytes and another type of stem cell that guides the development of hair follicles.¹⁷

The researchers found that black mice turned gray when they were deprived of the Wnt pathway. They think that the Wnt protein could be added to hair care products and supplements in the future. “cure” gray hair.

Researchers discovered that a UVB-activated chemical called PC-KUS, which was linked to gray hair and a buildup hydrogen peroxide, could be used to reverse this buildup. “cure” gray hair.¹⁸

People with vitiligo can also benefit from the treatment by restoring their skin color. Medical News Today spoke with Dr. Gerald Weissmann as editor-in chief of The FASEB Journal. He published the study.¹⁹

“For generations, numerous remedies have been concocted to hide gray hair. but now, for the first time, an actual treatment that gets to the root of the problem has been developed.”

Gray hair is often viewed as a problem and therefore the search for a solution to it is necessary. Butthere’s nothing intrinsically bad about having gray hair. In fact, from a health perspective you’re far better off going gray than using toxic hair dyes.

And if you’re thinking of embracing your silver locks, now’s a perfect time. So-called “granny hair” This is the newest trend. Many people pay a lot of money to get gray. If you’re lucky enough to have earned your gray naturally, you can get this look for free. Jan-Marie Arteca, a New York hairdresser, told Reuters:²⁰

“Granny hair is basically silver hair, any tone of grey in your hair: steel grey, silvery grey, really, really white, platinum-ish with either violet or silver undertones … That’s the trend.”

Originally published Jan. 2, 2023 on Mercola.com

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