How to Reverse Premature Grey Hair
Dietary and lifestyle interventions to get your pigment back
There are many ways in which we can identify that we are ageing. We become more achy as time passes, or have less energy for the activities that we once used to be able to perform with ease. For the case of this post I will focus on the most obvious and cosmetic sign of ageing – grey hair.
For many of us, the first bad omen of ageing that makes most of us feel tightness in our throats and a sense of panic coming over our entire being is finding our first grey hair. This feeling of panic is much amplified when it just so happens that our first hair arrives at an extremely inappropriate age. For me, it was the age of 22.
It is clearly visible that people tend to age at varying speeds, with some individuals in the 20s looking like they are 40, and some 40 year olds looking like they are in their 20s. While genetics tends to be the easy scapegoat explanation for this, through my own research and experimentation I’ve come to the conclusion that genes dictate very little when it comes to health, including ageing. Why? Because our environment affects gene expression to an insane amount. Different factors in our environment can turn on or off the expression of certain genes, meaning that even if we carry a specific gene, it doesn’t mean that this gene will affect us. For example, while hereditary hemochromatosis (aka when the body absorbs too much iron - spoiler, iron will be a key topic in this post), can manifest in severe liver damage, only about 9% of men carrying the gene for it develop the complication. Some publications from the past reported that in certain population sampled, only about 1% of the individuals carrying a gene associated with hemochromatosis ended up developing iron-induced liver disease.
Iron dysregulation, psychological stress & grey hair
When I developed my first grey hair at age 22 (which I reversed), and then again at age 26 (which I also reversed), my life was defined by experiencing significant stress in multiple areas of my life. I was feeling exhausted from working a 9-5, I was feeling socially isolated, I was getting very little sun exposure due to constantly being sequestered indoors in front of a screen and living in a Northern climate, and, at 22, I was also severely undernourished, which in and of itself is a massive stressor.
It is well known that stress makes us go grey earlier. To talk stress we need to differentiate between the two types of stress - “eustress” and “distress.” While all stressors impose some “wear and tear” on the body, our perception of the stress dictates the level of damage.
“Eustress,” a term coined by endocrinologist and pioneer of stress research Hans Selye, refers to “positive stress.” On the other hand, “distress” refers to negative stress. “Distress” is the type of stress that we usually think of when we think of “chronic” or “adverse” stress. It is also the type of stress that leads to the greatest level of degeneration.
“Every stress leaves an indelible scar, and the organism pays for its survival after a stressful situation by becoming a little older.” – Hans Selye
The two types of stress are differentiated not so much by the type of stressor, but rather by how one perceives the stressor. “Eustress” happens when one perceives the stressor as a positive challenge that can increase competence and provides a sense of meaning, motivation or vigor. “Distress” is seen as a negative threat, one that is usually overwhelming, prolonged, uncontrollable and inescapable.
When the stress that we experience feels “inescapable” and prolonged (for example, feeling like we can’t leave a stagnant job that’s exhausting us due to financial obligations), this type of stress becomes “distress.” What I was experiencing when my first greys showed up was stress that I perceived as “distress.”
“Stress is not what happens to you, but how you react to it.” - Hans Selye
Our perception of stress plays a role in whether it will be beneficial or destructive, and our physiology plays a big role in this perception.
Some people can go through years or of social isolation or stagnant careers that they perceive as distressing and not become visibly aged or fatigued by it. Some may assume that this indicates that they just have a different, more resilient personality. However, there are many biological factors (such as mineral balance and nutritional habits) that I would argue play a really big role in how much distress can affect someone’s looks.
One mineral that has a massive effect on our rate of ageing and susceptibility to damage from distressing situations is iron.
In one of Hans Selye's studies, he found that he could experimentally produce a form of scleroderma (hardening of the skin) in animals, by administering large doses of iron, followed by a minor stress, due to iron’s potent oxidative action. Over the years, many more studies showed that exposure to stressors causes iron to be removed from the blood and moved into tissues.
“Exposure to uncontrollable and unpredictable stressors is a common daily occurrence in the lifestyle of modern society. It is reported that dysregulation of iron metabolism and storage, could be caused by stress. Recent advances in stress research have revealed that psychological stress decreases blood iron levels, and induces hepatic iron accumulation in vivo and in vitro.” https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28629118/
Iron is a very reactive metal that oxidizes easily. When held in tissues and organs (where it shouldn’t be), as opposed to the blood (where it should be), iron can cause severe oxidative stress on those tissues and decrease mitochondrial respiration.
Mitochondrial respiration is how we produce ATP, and ATP is used for the repair and maintenance of all tissues in the body. When ATP becomes deficient, repairs can’t be done effectively, so the body starts decaying like an old house with falling roof tiles that no one is up-keeping.
At the cellular level, iron overload causes increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), resulting in oxidative stress which can induce damage to macromolecules such as DNA, proteins, and membrane lipids. Previous studies have reported that iron overload led to cardiac mitochondrial dysfunction as indicated by decreased mitochondrial respiration, increased mitochondrial ROS level, mitochondrial membrane potential depolarization, and mitochondrial swelling. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003986119309804
I will not get into the details of all the negative potential of iron in this post (only its effect on causing grey hair), but I will leave Dr. Eugene Weinberg’s summary of his book “Exposing the Hidden Dangers of Iron” to give you an idea of iron’s dangers, if you are new to the topic:
“Iron is one of the most frequently purchased over-the-counter supplements, second only to vitamin C and calcium. The danger is that, once absorbed, iron can only be excreted in minute amounts of less than one milligram a day (or by heavy blood loss), and excess iron collects in a person's vital organs, thus, setting the disease process under way. As organs literally rust away, patients can experience early death by heart attack, arthritis, liver, pancreatic and colon cancer, increased infections, cirrhosis, diabetes, neurological problems, loss of hearing, tinnitus, depression, impotence, and infertility. Scientists have now discovered a connection to iron impropriety and Alzheimer's, early onset Parkinson's, Huntington's, attention deficit disorder, and epilepsy. ‘Exposing the Hidden Dangers of Iron’ is an excellent introduction for medical professionals to the intricacies of iron in the various body systems. Containing a practical guide to diagnosis, it also includes such subjects as the treatment and management of iron-loading conditions, excellent reference charts, a large glossary of terms, additional resources, contact and treatment centers, and a complete bibliography. Cutting edge scientific findings are summarized, complete with endnotes and references, about the devastation of excess iron on the liver, pancreas, gallbladder, spleen, adrenals, kidneys, bone marrow, arteries, heart, pituitary, joints, lungs, hearing, skin, vision, and the brain.”
Ok, so now back to the point of the post. We now know that excess tissue iron can lead to premature ageing through inhibiting mitochondrial respiration. But how does iron cause grey hair?