Onions and gray hair

Factual Questions
1

The fight against ignorance shouldn’t be restricted by borders, so here I am in Viet Nam trying to spread the word of the Straight Dope. That’s fine for me because I’ve always been most comfortable in the missionary position.

Anyway, I run into a number of claims that I would classify as “old wives’ tales”, but then, one never knows for sure. The latest one I’m wrestling with is a claim that eating a lot of onions will make your hair go prematurely gray. “It’s proven! By science!” … or so they tell me. So, I’m looking for help from the TM. Are there any studies showing this corelation? Is it even a popular rumor? The fight against ignorance … and a really nice iced coffee with condensed milk … is at stake here.

2

I haven’t heard this one before.

3

That’s a new one on me. It’s usually written off to genetics.

4

Aha, so maybe the love of onions is what is actually passed on through genetics.

5

I love onions. I eat a lot of onions, and have done so for many years. In the case of sweet onions such as Vidalias, I sometimes even eat 'em raw, like an apple.

I am 57 years old, and so far I have detected exactly three grey hairs on my head. Plus one in my eyebrow and a couple in the naughtybits area.

This doesn’t prove anything, of course, but anecdotal evidence is probably all you’re going to get. And my anecdote is as good as anybody’s, I reckon.

6

I eat onions daily, am 50 years old, and entirely grey.

Which only proves that I can’t be arsed to color my hair.

Because early graying in my family is common, and most of them don’t like onions.

7

Let’s say there had been an actual scientific study done linking onions and gray hair. How would I go about finding it? Preferably in such a way that not finding it would prove (more or less) that no such study exists.

8

I am a professional Internet researcher. If I were looking for such a study, the first place I’d go would be MedLine. I’d do searches using combinations of keywords such as “onions” + “gray” or “onions” + “depigmentation”.

The failure to find a study on MedLine does not prove that no such study exists. As far as I know, there’s no good way to prove that there is no study on a certain medical topic.

9

Ask the people who told you it was scientifically proven.

10

The Good Eats episode about leeks says that the Egyptians used leeks to cure gray hair.

11

Well, if you eat a lot of onions and your potential mate does not, no matter what color your hair is you’ll be a lot less likely to end up in the missionary position :wink:

This sounds like it’s probably a home remedy that has little or no basis in fact.

12

Well, MedLine is interesting, and I did learn that

I’m not sure that helps me much. The only connection to Gray is that JE Gray was in on the study. Anyway, I think I’ve earned my coffee. I told my friend that it was just a superstition, but I now suspect that it’s not even that, just a figment of her imagination.

13

Pigment, surely?

14

They’ll probably just end up forwarding you a lot of email.

15

Sleel, I’m so glad I’m not the only one who glommed on to that part of the OP.

  • snort *
16

I love onions, have since I can remember. Started going grey when I was 12. I’ve had white hair since I was in my late 20s.

Father turned grey early. Grandfather turned grey early.

Once again anecdotal evidence, but I sure negate the old wives tale.

17

Negate it in the sense of supporting it you mean.

Thanks, Scout. I’m also fond of glomming!
:stuck_out_tongue: