Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid Deficiency - A Theory of Untimely Graying

For centuries, health industry experts have espoused the principle that once our hair starts becoming gray, there's no strategy to reverse the clock on Mother Nature. However, fresh studies have proven promising advances inside the subject of graying hair - and quite a few scientists are optimistic that these new discoveries won't just unlock the secret of gray hair, but will reverse the process altogether.

Researchers know that there are various contributing components to graying hair, such as oxidative stress and genetics; nonetheless we're beginning to learn far more about the role of melanin with the graying hair process, and the way this pigment can also be used to reduce and even take away gray hair. To recap, melanin is a form of an amino acid named tyrosine, which aids in support healthy brain function. As a derivative of tyrosine, melanin is responsible for the pigmentation, or coloring, of our hair and skin. At the same time to giving us with our unique skin and hair colors, melanin's foremost role is to absorb harmful UVA rays and transform them into energy, thus reducing our chances of producing deadly skin diseases and cancers. Insert Melanin deficiency can result in an assortment of diseases, such as albinism an even Parkinson's Diseases - and naturally, this deficiency also directly contributes to gray hair.

Research have demonstrated that hair with higher amounts of melanin are more saturated in color than their deficient counterparts; consequently, when melanin death occurs (which can arise due to the natural aging process, stress and genetics), the hair follicles become much less saturated with color and therefore are effectively bleached into gray hair. So it stands to cause that if a reduction in melanin production contributes to graying hair, then an expansion in melanin production can re-saturate the hair with pigmentation, thereby successfully reverse the process.

And that's specifically what scientists set-out to test. Below are the results of this investigation... can gray hair be re pigmented via a diet of B12 and folic acid.

In a two-year analysis performed through the Department of Dermatology at University Hospital in Uppsala, Sweden, researchers discovered that folic acid, vitamin B12 and sun exposure could help encourage re-pigmentation of one's skin and hair. One hundred patients with vitiligo - an ailment where the skin loses its pigmentation - ended up being treated with folic acid and B12, and told to increase their exposure to the sun. After three to six months, researchers noted that re-pigmentation was evident in 64% of patients, with six patients experiencing total re-pigmentation. [Juhlin, L and MJ Olson. "Improvement of vitiligo after oral treatment with vitamin B12 and folic acid and the importance of sun exposure", Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden].

These findings were further supported by a research conducted by researchers from the Department of Dermatology at the University of Alabama, there scientists observed that patients who suffered from vitiligo frequently displayed diminished blood levels of folic acid. By increasing folic acid consumption by means of oral administration, researchers reported that patients had re-pigmentation without having side effects. [Montes LF, Diaz ML, Lajous J, Garcia NJ., "Folic acid and vitamin B12 in vitiligo: a nutritional approach", Department of Dermatology, University of Alabama, Birmingham Medical Center].

As these scientific studies have demonstrated, re-pigmentation of one's hair and skin is attainable, given that the individual increases their intake of certain vitamins and nutrients, such as vitamin B12 and folic acid. Graying hair doesn't have to be a "fact of life"; instead, it is possible to revive and increase melanin production within the hair follicles, thereby restoring the hair to its natural colour and luster.

Frederica Hegney is Moderator of the Grey Defense blog.
Read our blog to learn what causes gray hair and what specific steps you can take to slow, stop or reverse grey hair.

You can also follow her on twitter @GreyHairDefence

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Frederica_Hegney


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