Teens and kids with early gray hair tend to have lower levels of certain nutrients like copper, zinc, and vitamin B12 in their blood than other kids their age, but how gray their hair is doesn’t seem to match how low those nutrient levels are.

Teens and kids with early gray hair are more likely to have low levels of certain nutrients in their blood, like copper and vitamin B12, compared to kids without gray hair—but the amount of gray hair doesn’t seem to relate to how low those nutrient levels are.

Teens and kids with gray hair early tend to have less zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in their blood than other kids their age — maybe these nutrients have something to do with why their hair turns gray sooner.

Kids and teens with gray hair early tend to have less zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B12 in their blood than other kids their age who don’t have gray hair yet—so maybe these nutrients have something to do with why their hair turns gray sooner.

Kids and teens with gray hair early on have the same levels of copper, iron, vitamin D, and folic acid in their blood as kids without gray hair—so these nutrients probably aren’t why their hair turned gray.

Kids who start getting gray hair earlier than normal are more likely to be missing important vitamins and minerals like B12, iron, and zinc compared to other kids.