Grey Hair and Reduced Bone Density

Hair and Pigment

Hair consists of two parts: the root and the shaft (the visible part of the hair). The root sits in a hair follicle in the skin. It contains protein cells that grow and form the hair shaft. The colour of the hair is determined by two types of melanin: eumelanin (which gives black and brown colour) and pheomelanin (which gives red and yellow colour). The combination and amount of these two types of melanin determine the exact hair colour. As we age, melanin production in the hair follicles begins to decrease. This leads to new hair strands having less pigment and appearing more transparent – a colour we often perceive as grey, silver, or white. This process can begin at different ages and progress at different rates, which is why some people start to go grey earlier than others. This is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors (such as stress and diet).

Young, Grey Hair & Reduced Bone Density

Early greying, however, is associated with several hormonal disorders, vitiligo (an autoimmune disease that causes loss of pigmentation in the skin and hair), and the ageing process. Research shows that people with early greying have a 4.4 times higher risk of having osteopenia, i.e., low bone density. There are several vitamins and minerals that help maintain normal bone structure:

• Vitamin D
• Calcium
• Vitamin K
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Protein
• Zinc
• Vitamin C (Vitamin C contributes to normal collagen formation, which is important for the normal function of bone structure.)

Osteopenia is a classification of a person's bone density that indicates a range between osteoporosis (T-score < -2.5) and normal bone density (T-score -1 or higher).

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