Hair and eye color change?

I've seen stories of people saying that when they changed their diet, their hair and/or eye color changed somewhat. Has anyone had experiences with this? In pictures of me when I was really little, my hair was a very light brown, almost a very dark blonde. In pictures of my mom when she was younger, her hair was even lighter than that, more of a dark-ish strawberry blonde. She was about 8 in the pictures I saw earlier like that. The one of me that I saw, I was probably 4-ish? And then in a picture of me probably not more than a year or so later, in kindergarten, my hair was very, very dark brown. It's been that way ever since, with people in grade school calling it black (which it is not.) My parents both have very dark hair now, too. I've also seen theories from people saying that it could be caused by toxins in your body, or hormones, or just genetics. But I actually really like my hair in the pictures where it's lighter, and I'd love for it to be closer to that color again. :dance: Anyone had experiences with that? I've been raw for a year and haven't noticed any difference with that, but I'm curious.

Does grey count?

But seriously, I think the dramatic eye & hair color change we experience as a kid is just genetics + age and you wont see that kind of dramatic change again except for going grey. I was blue eyes & blond hair as a child and now I am grey eyes & brown with salt and pepper. As for the fighting premature greying and the texture and strength of hair and nails, now that is something good diet effects greatly.

Nails especially are great indicators of health as they can show warning signs of nutrient deficiencies, drug reactions, poisoning, or arthritis indicators. Before I started juicing my nails were streaked, pitted, discolored, and brittle. But now I can see the dividing line where my new smooth thick healthy pink nails are pushing the last of my unhealthy nail out to the ends. I can see he same difference in my toenails too, but those nails grow at a slower rate. When the last of my old nails grows out, I am so treating myself to a mani pedi :)

I have heard that adults with brown eyes might not actually be naturally brown eyed, the brown in the iris could be toxins. Iridologists see the eyes as "windows" into the body's state of health. Ive never seen an iridologist but since I was a teen my eyes had always been brown but since I changed my life style they are now mostly green. I also notice that my eyes get even greener when I am dehydrated.....Dont dehydrate yourself. As for hair, in my experience it has gotten darker as I age, especially in the time I was in elementary school being a dirty blonde to mousey brown it does get lighter the more time I spend in the sun... obviously... dont know if diet has any part in that or if its just the sun....
There are ways of naturally lightening your hair....

I've found with detoxing my eyes are more green while before they were more brown around the iris. I also had blue eyes until I was five and they they were grey for a while. Now they are "hazel" with mostly a green color. I wish raw would change my grey hair back to brown :-)

Kristina Carrillo-Bucaram said that her eyes used to be brown, but since switching to a raw vegan diet, her eyes became a greenish/hazel color.


As to hair color, I think it's natural for many little kids to have light or blondish hair which gets darker as they age. It's to protect them from the sun.

Like the rest of you, I've heard this assertion being spoken of, in certain quarters of the raw foods community, over the years.



Purely on a whim, I decided to do a little digging on the topic, and found a few links of interest. Rather than write a detailed response, I've opted to just quote a few pertinent details and provided links to their respective sources, so you can do your own further research, if you wish.

　

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http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/eye-color.htm :

"Most babies are born with blue eyes that can darken in their first three years. Darkening occurs if
melanin, a brown pigment usually not present at birth, develops with age.

Eye color also can change with age. This happens in 10 to 15 percent of the Caucasian population (people who generally have lighter eye colors). ....However, some hazel eyes actually get darker with age.

Note that if your adult eye color changes pretty dramatically, or if one eye changes from brown to green or blue to brown (called
heterochromia), it's important to see your eye doctor Eye color changes can be a warning sign of certain diseases, such as:


Fuch's heterochromic iridocyclitis ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuchs_h..._iridocyclitis )

Horner's syndrome ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horner's_syndrome )

Pigmentary glaucoma ( http://eyewiki.aao.org/Pigmentary_gl...rsion_Syndrome )
　

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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15596885 :

"Dr Gregg Homer claims 20 seconds of laser light can remove pigment in brown eyes so they gradually turn blue.

However, other eye experts urge caution because destroying eye pigment can cause sight problems if too much light is allowed to enter the pupil.

Other eye experts have expressed reservations.

"The pigment is there for a reason. If the pigment is lost you can get problems such as glare or double vision," said Larry Benjamin, a consultant eye surgeon at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, in the UK."

　

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http://www.livestrong.com/article/537922-what-foods-help-create-melanin/ :

"You need to be eating the right foods that provide your body with nutrients used to make melanin.

Copper helps produce melanin

[Tyrosine] is beneficial to your body's melanin production .... This is an amino acid that is used to build proteins in your body. It can be found in many other natural sources of protein, particularly soy products. You can also find tyrosine in pumpkin seeds, lima beans and sesame seeds

Many other foods contain small amounts of tyrosine, copper or other nutrients that can help your body's melanin production. Consider eating nuts and legumes, including almonds, peanuts and dried beans. Dark leafy vegetables can be helpful, as can avocados, bananas, whole grain products and chocolate."




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http://5starnutrition.gossamer-media.com/melanin.htm :

"The
amino acids tyrosine (abounding in many high protein food products) and phenylalanine (found naturally in the breast milk of mammals) are involved indirectly in the production of melanin.

In humans, melanin is found in the skin; hair; the coat of retina; the renal medulla and the zona reticularis of the adrenal glands; the inner ear; and the substantia nigra (Latin, literally "black substance") and locus cereleus ("blue spot") of the brain.

Melanin deficiency has been attributed to, among other factors, oxidative stress and changes in blood pH.

Of particular interest to melanin deficiency and its cure is the c(PKC) kinase

The (c) before the P stands for [phosphatidyl] choline, meaning the carbon is joined to a molecule of the B-vitamin-like substance.

Choline, which helps catalyze the phosphorylation of tyrosine residues in certain proteins, is thus placed as a subgroup of protein kinase PKC. The compound choline is widely found in living tissues and important in the synthesis and transport of lipids (fats). Choline is found to be critical to the synthesis of lecithin and other phospholipids, as well as acetylcholine—the transmitter of the parasympathetic fibre that is released to relay the nerve impulse. And this compound is found abundant in seed grains such as
wild melon seeds (egusi), a staple in most western African cuisine, also in nutritional yeast, the seaweed kelp, among other "super" foods.

Not only must the diet contain the invaluable amino acid tyrosine, but the sufferer must be able to properly digest and assimilate fats, as well as proteins."

　

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http://www.livestrong.com/article/244965-eye-color-change-due-to-diet :

"There has been no scientific evidence to back up any claims of being able to change eye color due to diet.

Blue eyes are said to be the healthiest, and brown eyes are seen as a sign that toxins are present in the body. But lots of raw food experts, alternative healers and some iridologists say that when an individual becomes healthier, the eyes become bluer or light gray. This can be a clear indication that some of the tissues throughout the body have improved. However, there have been no proven studies to provide solid evidence for such claims.

Possible Effects

As a side effect, raw food diets might improve circulation to flush out bad toxins from the body and in turn reform the pigments in the eyes. Such effects may cause people to experience a surprising change in their vision as well as their eye color. According to "Living and Raw Foods," the iris can change its pigment by the body regenerating new cells, but the topic is still being researched and needs more tested clinical studies to back up such claims.



The founder of Body Electronics, Dr. John Ray, says an all-raw diet is included in an energy-based and spiritual healing system in which some advocates have been observed to develop certain changes in eye color. However, there is no evidence to prove these claims. They say there is an overlaying discoloration caused by the toxins on the tissues in the iris, which can serve as a curtain-like cover that makes the iris look darker. No statements done by this private agency have been evaluated by the Department of Health and Human Services.



Theories/Speculation

Perhaps most of the radical statements above are mere myths. Nonetheless, numerous practitioners adhere to the idea that an iris' color may shift through green, blue and, finally, light gray due to a healing system based on raw food diet. However, the latter has not been adequately documented, and there have been no clinical studies done by the FDA to prove this matter. It is yet to be seen, and further evidence must be presented for it to be proven clinically."

　

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One thing in particular caught my attention, from the above sources. This was the observation that


"Melanin deficiency has been attributed to, among other factors, oxidative stress and changes in blood pH"


Whilst we cannot be certain exactly what mechanism might be operating, in (alleged) cases of eye colour change whilst following a raw foods diet, it seems reasonable to at least question that if such claims are valid, might it be on account of a possible dietary deficiency leading to melatonin deficiency? Clearly, much more research is necessary, in order to get to the bottom of this, and we shouldn't be too willing to either believe or disbelieve that eye colour change can occur due to following a raw foods diet, until such time as a viable mechanism has been scientifically evaluated to be in operation in specific relation to consumption of a raw foods diet. Furthermore, we should not necessarily assume that a change in eye colour indicates something positive occurring. All of this remains to be seen (no pun intended).