Why do some kids go gray so early?
Demographic Characteristics and Association of Serum Vitamin B12, Ferritin and Thyroid Function with Premature Canities in Indian Patients from an Urban Skin Clinic of North India: A Retrospective Analysis of 71 Cases
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Gray hair can start as early as age 5 in some Indian children.
Most people assume graying begins in 30s or 40s — finding it in kindergarteners challenges global norms and suggests a unique genetic or environmental trigger in this population.
Practical Takeaways
If a child under 15 develops gray hair, get their vitamin B12, TSH, and ferritin levels checked — especially if there’s a family history.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Gray hair can start as early as age 5 in some Indian children.
Most people assume graying begins in 30s or 40s — finding it in kindergarteners challenges global norms and suggests a unique genetic or environmental trigger in this population.
Practical Takeaways
If a child under 15 develops gray hair, get their vitamin B12, TSH, and ferritin levels checked — especially if there’s a family history.
Publication
Journal
Indian Journal of Dermatology
Year
2017
Authors
S. Sonthalia, A. Priya, D. Tobin
Related Content
Claims (7)
People who start going gray earlier than most tend to have less vitamin B12 in their blood and are more likely to be deficient in it than others their age.
In this group of Indian people, having low iron levels or anemia doesn’t seem to cause hair to turn gray early, which goes against what some people used to think.
In this group of people from India, kids are starting to go gray much earlier than usual—some as young as 5—and on average by age 10, which is way before most other people start graying, suggesting their hair turns gray for a different reason.
In Indians who go gray early, the sides of the head usually turn gray first, then the front—just like in normal aging, but faster. This makes scientists think early graying might just be regular aging on fast-forward.
People in India who go gray too early are more likely to have low levels of vitamin B12, and some of them also have a sign in their blood that might mean their body is having trouble absorbing this vitamin.