Many middle-aged and elderly people worry about their increasing number of gray hairs. Li Changping, a nutritionist at Beijing Hospital, said in an interview with reporters that there are many causes for hair turning white, but malnutrition caused by insufficient intake of staple foods and meat protein is a very important factor.
The factor that determines hair color is the amount of pigment granules in the hair, which is related to the development and growth of pigment cells in the hair root papilla. Hair turns from black to white generally because the function of the hair's pigment cells declines. When the decline reaches the point where it can no longer produce pigment granules at all, the hair turns completely white. In normal people, hair pigment cells begin to decline at the age of 35. However, if not well protected, black hair may turn white prematurely.
The ancients said, "Hair is the surplus of blood," which means the growth and shedding, as well as the moisture and dryness of hair, mainly depend on the abundance and decline of kidney essence and qi, and the nourishment of liver blood. Not eating or eating less staple foods like rice and grains will inevitably harm the spleen and stomach, and also damage the liver and kidneys. In youth and middle age, the liver's qi and blood are abundant, so hair grows quickly and is shiny. When one is old and the body declines, the essence and blood are often weak, and the hair turns white and withers. The direct cause is the insufficient nutrition provided by the spleen and stomach. Li Changping said that coarse grains are rich in starch, sugars, protein, various vitamins, and some trace elements (such as copper), and meat is rich in meat protein. These are all essential nutrients for maintaining a head of black, shiny hair. If middle-aged and elderly people do not consume enough staple foods and meat, it often leads to hair turning gray and white.
So, how can one prevent hair from turning white? Li Changping said that middle-aged and elderly people can often eat staple foods like purple rice, black beans, red beans, green beans, water caltrop, black sesame, and walnuts. They should also eat more meat such as Silkie chicken, beef, mutton, pork liver, soft-shelled turtle, dark-fleshed fish, and sea cucumber. In addition, middle-aged and elderly people should also often eat carrots, spinach, purple radish heads, purple cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and black fungus. In short, all dark-colored foods contain pigments, which are beneficial for maintaining hair color.