Lysine is an essential amino acid that plays a large role in your growth, as well as your body’s ability to absorb other minerals. While not getting enough of it can have negative repercussions, consuming this nutrient cannot decrease the rate at which your hair turns gray. According to MedlinePlus, no vitamins or nutritional supplements can slow down gray hair. However, consuming lysine-rich foods as part of a nutrient-rich diet can keep your gray hair healthy.
Function and Deficiency of Lysine
Your body needs lysine, but it cannot make the nutrient on its own. This means that you have to get it from foods or supplements and that you need to ingest more of it every day. Lysine is a protein building-block, which you need for healthy hair, and it also helps your body make carnitine, which helps keep your cholesterol levels in check. It also aids in your body’s absorption of calcium, another important mineral for hair health. Failing to get enough lysine can lead to fatigue, dizziness, agitation, slow growth, anemia and reproductive problems.
Gray Hair
Gray hair is most often simply a sign of getting older, and genetics and heredity play a large role in when and how quickly you will go gray. Your hair color is the result of melanin in your follicles, and over time, the amount of melanin in your strands decreases, which leads to graying. Smoking cigarettes, having certain illnesses and taking certain medications can all cause your hair to turn gray as well. No matter the cause, no product or nutritional supplement has been scientifically proven to reverse or slow down graying strands. If you are concerned about your gray hair, see your doctor.
Lysine, Diet and Hair Loss
According to the Huntington College of Health Sciences, those who follow an Asian diet rich in vegetables, many of which contain lysine, experience male pattern baldness less frequently than those who follow a typical American diet. This may be because lysine inhibits the activity of an enzyme that leads to hair loss. Including lysine-rich foods in your diet may help you hold on to the strands you have for a longer amount of time, gray or not. Foods rich in the nutrient include nuts, eggs, tofu and other soybean products, spirulina, fenugreek seed, beans, cod, sardines, pork and Parmesan cheese.
Additional Considerations
Certain people, such as vegans and athletes, may not get enough lysine in their diets and will need to take supplements. However, do not begin taking any new supplements or medications without first discussing them with your health care provider. If you have questions about a product or supplement that claims to reverse or slow down gray hair, ask your doctor about it. Also let her know if you experience any other symptoms along with gray hair, as these may be symptomatic of a health condition or disease.
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