Dealing with unexpected gray hair can be confusing. Yes, it’s a natural part of the aging process (and there are so many chic ways to let it grow out, it can even be a welcome change), but when you’re nowhere near where you thought you would be for that type of hair transformation, it can be a bit jarring. So what gives?
There are many factors that play into our hair graying prematurely. Family history, free radicals in the body, and oxidative stress are just some of the most common ones, says Morgan Rabach, MD, board-certified dermatologist at LM Medical NYC. One that doesn’t get talked about enough is how food—or lack of certain ones—can impact when those gray strands will appear on your head.
“Vitamin deficiencies can contribute to premature gray hair by interfering with melanin production and causing oxidative stress within the hair follicles,” adds Samantha Dieras, RN, DCN, director of ambulatory nutrition services at Mount Sinai Hospital. “The melanocytes (pigment-producing cells) may become damaged or dysfunctional in the absence of these nutrients, leading to loss of color.”
Disclaimer: eating or not eating certain foods isn’t the end-all, be-all to losing your natural color. Dieras goes on to say that while studies have shown that it may be helpful to eat certain foods for repigmentation of their graying hair, it’s still a small part of the gray hair puzzle. With that in mind, the five best types of foods to incorporate into your diet to at least help include:
Copper-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Liver, oysters, potatoes, and mushrooms
The element copper is key to melanin synthesis, says Dr. Rabach, and low levels of it may cause reduced pigmentation production in our hair. Some foods you could eat to offset a copper deficiency include potatoes, where one whole potato contains 675 micrograms (mcg) of the nutrient, and mushrooms, which contain 650 mcg for every half cup cooked. If you love shellfish and meat, oysters are packed with the nutrient and contain 4,850 mcg of copper for every 3 ounces cooked, while 3 ounces of cooked beef liver contains 12,400 mcg.
Iron-Rich Foods
Foods to Try: Red meat, poultry, legumes, and spinach