Why hair turns gray

Hair bleaches itself as people age: Study

London (PTI): Why people turn gray is no longer a gray area, for scientists have finally solved the mystery by discovering that hair bleaches itself as people age.

A team in Europe has found that going gray is caused by a massive build up of hydrogen peroxide due to wear and tear of our hair follicles. The peroxide winds up blocking the normal synthesis of melanin, our hair's natural pigment.

According to Gerald Weissmann, the editor-in-chief of the FASEB journal, which published the study, "All of our hair cells make a tiny bit of hydrogen peroxide, but as we get older, this little bit becomes a lot. "We bleach our hair pigment from within, and our hair turns gray and then white. This research, however, is an important first step to get at the root of the problem, so to speak."

In fact, the scientists made this discovery by examining cell cultures of human hair follicles. They found the build up of hydrogen peroxide was caused by a reduction of an enzyme that breaks up hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen (catalase).

They also discovered that hair follicles could not repair the damage caused by the hydrogen peroxide because of low levels of enzymes that normally serve this function (MSR A and B). Further complicating matters, the high levels of hydrogen peroxide and low levels of MSR A and B, disrupt the formation of an enzyme (tyrosinase) that leads to production of melanin in hair follicles.

Melanin is the pigment responsible for hair color, skin color, and eye color. The team speculates that a similar breakdown in the skin could be the root cause of vitiligo.

Just wanted to say thank you IH for getting me on the Surya Henna hair dye. I ordered some from Iherb and gave it a try last week. The color was very natural and there was no skin irritation at all. It felt very gentle and it was good to know that it is a completely natural product containing no toxic ingredients that could be harmful to ones health. I don't think the color will last as long as conventional hair dyes but I am more than happy to color my hair with Surya henna more frequently knowing that I am not damaging my hair or health. So, if any of you guys are graying, give the conventional hair dyes a miss and go for the Surya Henna. Thanks IH.

I don't know if its a concidence but people who have grey hairs in early age usually don't go bald.

Ok, is there anything we can do, or supplements we can take to increase the low levels of enzymes MSR A and B, and decrease the high levels of hydrogen peroxide?

A quick note about catalase enzyme,

`hydrogen peroxide requires the catalase enzyme to separate the oxygen molecule BUT if you take ASPARTAME it turns into formic acid and attaches itself to the active side of catalase `

Forgot to ask IH - recently I asked you about Hydrogen peroxide therapy where increasing the body's oxygen levels would have so many benefits. However, would this mean that undergoing such a therapy like ingesting diluted food-grade hydrogen peroxide would have a detrimental effect on ones hair by making it grayer for example?

Grateful - I'm not 100% sure, but I think only using it topically would present a problem.

Probably the best way to prevent gray hair is to reduce oxidative stress, from supplements such as
GliSODin (Superoxide Dismutase), R-Lipoic acid, and Carnosine.

Thanks IH - yes, that's a difficult one.