I’ve written before about my early greying – and I do mean early, I found my first grey hair at 16. More recently I’ve come to terms with my ‘silver sparkles’, after years of dyeing them away. Technically, there’s no such thing as ‘grey’ hair. What we see as grey is a mixture of translucent, pigment-less hairs and what’s left of our natural hair colour. The pigment-less hairs appear to be white as they reflect full-spectrum light.
The pigment that gives our hair its colour is produced in follicular stem cells. When that production process is halted, we’re left with hair that is simply colourless. So any treatment or supplement that keeps the pigment production line rolling could potentially turn the clock back on millions of heads of hair.
Less grey hair
So I was intrigued by a study published in February linking an antioxidant found in many vegetables to decreased greying. The Japanese study, in the journal Antioxidants, treated mice who’d been created to develop grey hair. They were given internal and external treatments with one specific antioxidant, luteolin. The mice were given a supplement, and a solution of luteolin was applied to their fur, daily for 16 weeks. Both topical application and supplementation had an effect, although topical application had the greater one, with a substantial reduction in greying the result. Luteolin helps maintain communication between the stem cells needed for pigment production, the research team believe.
It’s possible to buy luteolin supplements – like the ones the mice were given. And it’s found in some high-end skincare products, particularly those that deal with skin ageing and inflammation. Luteolin may also help protect against UV-induced skin damage and promote wound healing.
Luteolin
Luteolin is found in herbs including oregano, thyme, rosemary and camomile. Most accessibly, it’s found in multiple vegetables – the richest sources are radicchio, green peppers, celery, parsley, broccoli. All of which I eat regularly. I’ve listed at the end of this post some recipes from the Age Well archive which include these ingredients. I pretty much LIVE on vegetables. As my brain health coaching clients will tell you, one of my mantras is ‘start meal planning with the vegetables first’. The base of every meal for me is non-starchy, brightly-coloured vegetables.
Vegetables first
We tend to think about the protein or carbs first, rather than vegetables, when we meal plan. We think ‘I’ve got some chicken in the fridge, let’s use that’ or ‘it’s pasta night’ but I encourage you to focus on vegetables first. You’re aiming for 6-9 portions a day. When you meal plan, ask yourself, where’s the colour? Where’s the green? We can see the antioxidants in vegetables, they’re the bright colours and they protect us from oxidative stress (a process akin to rusting!)
All that veg hasn’t stopped my hair turning grey. And, honestly, I like my hair. What is more compelling however, is research linking the antioxidant luteolin to brain health. Research published in 2016 linked supplementation with luteolin to reduced neuroinflammation and better cognition during ageing. Something that’s incredibly important to me, as the daughter and granddaughter of dementia. A 2010 study of healthy aged mice found improved learning and memory, and reduced inflammation in the hippocampus, when luteolin was included in the diet. So that’s the critical thing for me– not the hair, what’s going on underneath it!
ANNABEL’S BOOK LAUNCH AND EVENTS
The photo at the top of this post was taken at the launch of Annabel’s latest book, The Walking Cure, this week. It was such a fun and inspiring event, and Annabel spoke with such passion about the power of landscape to positively impact our mental wellbeing. Obviously I’m biased, but do catch her talking about the book if you can.
Upcoming dates include:
Canterbury, Kent, on 5th April at 3.30pm. Click here for tickets and further details
Chazey Heath, the Chilterns, on 17 May at 1.45pm. Click here for tickets and further details
LUTEOLIN-RICH RECIPES
Roast red onions with rosemary and roquefort
Simple stuffed peppers (use green ones)
Susan
Really interesting and i embraced my translucent
hair at 55, which seems very rare.
Mental health is is so multifaceted and im a huge
advocate for walking outdoors.
I run a Nordic walking group and I can see the huge
benefit of the poles and walking through the seasons has had.
Hello Ione, so good to hear that you’re embracing the translucent hair! Annabel is a huge fan of Nordic walking, I’m going to try it one day!
I have always chosen – red orange yellow – peppers for the colour.
but this time you say – use green ones ?
Jumping in to say, they are all good! Different chemicals/nutrients according to the colours… go forth and eat all peppers!