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Anyone have any experience, thoughts, or comments on how the Paleo lifestyle might affect the onset of the graying of hair?

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Maybe gray hair means the onset of wisdom! :-) – ScottMGS Aug 18 2010 at 14:24

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Well, if graying hair is a sign of aging, and aspects of the Paleo diet have a decelerating effect on aging, then theoretically graying could be delayed by following a Paleo lifestyle. I know that glycation has a lot to do with markers of aging in other areas (i.e. skin elasticity v.s. wrinkling), so I would suspect that natural graying would be linked to that and the usual damaging aspects of living life 'too fast' - inflammation, rapid cellular destruction, etc.

There are other reasons behind the graying of hair; however, many can still be attributed to inflammation - i.e. stress & shock.

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I know my hair has begun to grey since going Paleo (2 1/2 years now). Then again, I'm 45, so it's about time for it. I have no way of knowing if, perhaps, it's been slowed by my excellent Paleo diet (I only have a half a dozen strands of silver so far).

I WILL say that both my hair and my skin have improved markedly since I gave up soap, shampoo, conditioner, lotions, sunscreen, etc, etc. It's been astounding. So my Paleo lifestyle has definitely helped my look younger despite the grey, LOL!

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Since going Paleo 4 years ago, I've noticed markedly LESS grey hair. I thought the mirror (or my vanity) was fooling me, but I've had a few online convos with some others who have experienced similar. I'm 53 and no longer colour my hair (I was not that grey when I started). It's not that the grey has disappeared, it hasn't, it's just lessened considerably.

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I'm only 22 and I've been going very slightly gray for the last couple of years! I have always told my girlfriends to pluck my gray hairs when they see them. One day, after switching to paleo, my girlfriend plucked a random gray hair... and the bottom half of the hair was brown! She was floored. I didn't even realize a reversal was possible. – Will Aug 18 2010 at 20:19
Wow, that is pretty crazy Will. I'm 20 and probably have had stray gray hairs for about 4 years. I was wondering if that was possible. It didn't seem like something that should be happening to a 20 year old. But maybe diet was the cause AGAIN. – Brandon Nolte Mar 5 2011 at 22:41
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My hair was just starting to develop a few greys when I started paleo. Seems like that has somewhat reversed now. THere are fewer of them or they seem less grey. But it's a bit hard for me to tell because my hair is light and so the greys did not stick out well anyway. Could be that my hair was right on the threshold of greying so maybe it was easier to alter that? (just guessing) -Eva

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I also had some gray hair reversal. Gray at the bottom, brown at the root. Here's a post from evolutionary medicine forum that discusses it. It has to do with the peroxisomes in our hair roots - we bleach our own hair as we age.

http://nephropal.blogspot.com/2010/06/guest-blogger-ken-s.html

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This is why I'm afraid to start dyeing my hair--we produce our own hydrogen peroxide in our hair when it turns gray. And exactly what is the active ingredient in hair color? PEROXIDE! We're only adding to our misery when we dye our gray hair. – Wenchypoo Mar 30 2011 at 14:35
Can't access the blog? – mindmt May 30 at 14:00
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Definitely no reversal of my graying, but I started going gray in high school -- I'm 48 now. I can't tell if it's lessening because it's almost all gray now any

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I heard that early grey hair is lack of minerals. So eat a mineral rich food reverse or prevent it. horsetail nettle are also good for the hair.

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A few years ago I fell down the stairs and broke my back. Shortly after my blonde hair fell out (not surprising really) and grew back a lovely silver colour. And now, after being Paleo since August, my hair is falling out again but the regrowth is DARK! Something strange is happening!

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My hair has been silver for ages (I'm 53). I don't think I want it to turn back. It is nice and shiny though.

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I've heard of copper deficiency. Eat liver!

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