Professional Statements About Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
"The
results of the (hair analysis) quality assurance program, which included 31
participants on four continents, are described. Of the participating laboratories, 92% consistently meet
QA/QC performance limits for the determination of Hg in human hair."
- Gill US, Schwartz HM, Bigras L., Results of multiyear international
interlaboratory comparison program for mercury in human hair., Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 2002
Nov;43(4):466-72.
"Bioassay
of hair is attractive as it is an effective bio-concentrator, samples can be
easily stored, (and) the concentration reflects an integrated valueÉ"
- Karpas Z, Lorber A, Sela H, Paz-Tal O, Hagag Y, Kurttio P, Salonen L.,
Measurement of the 234U/238U ratio by MC-ICPMS in drinking water, hair, nails,
and urine as an indicator of uranium exposure source. Health Phys. 2005 Oct;89(4):315-21.
"Human
head hair is a recording filament that can reflect metabolic changes of many
elements over long periods of time and thus furnish a print-out of post
nutritional events."
- Strain, W. H.; Pories, W. J.; Flynn, A.; Hill, O. A.: Trace Element
Nutriture and Metabolism Through Head Hair Analysis. Trace Substances in Environmental Health. Hemphill, D. D., ed.
University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 1972.
"Statistical
evaluation of these data by multivariant analysis (MANOVA) using a contrast
matrix and by discriminant analysis showed that elemental hair anomalies can be
used to diagnose correctly the above-mentioned pathologies, demonstrating the
usefulness of hair analysis as a complementary tool for the detection of
disturbances in calcium/bone metabolism."
- Miekeley, N., et al. Elemental Anomalies in Hair as Indicators of
Endocrinologic Pathologies and Deficiencies in Calcium and Bone Metabolism., J. Trace Elem. Med. Biol. 15, 1, 2005
"Changes
in element content in hair can serve as a guide to opening up new vistas in the
treatment of breast cancer on the basis of an overall analysis of symptoms and signs."
- Kilic E, Saraymen R, Demiroglu A, Ok E. Chromium and Manganese Levels
in the Scalp Hair of Normals and Patients With Breast Cancer, Biol Trace Elem Res. 2004 Winter;
102(1-3):19-25.
"The
consensus of most workers in the field is that if hair samples are collected
properly, cleaned and prepared for analysis correctly and analyzed by the best
analytical methods, using standards and blanks as required, in a clean and
reliable laboratory, by experienced personnel, the data are reliable."
- Toxic Trace Metals in Mammalian Hair and Nails. United States
Environmental Protection Agency Publication 1979; EPA-600/4: 79: 049
ÒAn
example of how mineral intake is reflected in the hair was demonstrated in a
study of several thousand Iraqi peasants, whose diet contained grain heavily
treated with fungicides. The fungicides contained organic mercury, which was
reflected in higher concentrations in the hair when consumption was highest and
decreased when consumption was lowest. Hair concentrations correlated directly
with the extent of symptoms.Ó
- Al-Shahristani, H.; Al-Haddad, I. K.: Mercury Content of Hair From
Normal and Poisoned Persons. J
Radioanalytical Chem 1973; 15.
- Al-Shahristani, H.; Shihab, K. M.: Variation of Biological Half-Life of
Methylmercury in Man. Arch Environ Health
1974; 28.
"The
results demonstrate the viability of hair as a noninvasive biomonitor in
assessing aspects of dietary Se (selenium) and environmental As (arsenic)
exposure."
- Spallholz JE, Boylan LM, Palace V, Chen J, Smith L, Rahman MM,
Robertson JD., Arsenic and Selenium in Human Hair; A comparison of Five
Countries With and Without Arsenicosis., Biol
Trace Elem Res. 2005 Aug;106(2):133-44.
"The
proliferation of trace element analysis as a tool for biological investigation
of nutrition, growth and development, and disease processes has led to
consideration of (hair) trace element analysis as a means not only of present
evaluation and estimation, but also as a technique for the reconstruction of
past biological events in an organism."
- Gilbert, R. I.: Trace Elements in Human Hair and Bone. Hair, Trace Elements and Human Illness
Brown, A.C.; Crounse, R. G. ed. Praeger Publications, 1980.
"The
significance of hair analysis as a biological indicator of abnormal intake of
trace elements in man is confirmed.
Geographical variations of hair trace element concentrations, on the
whole, depend on geochemical conditions or nutritional factors."
- Batzevich VA., Hair trace element analysis in human ecology studies., Sci Total Environ. 1995 Mar
15;164(2):89-98.
"The
result of research studies indicate that hair mineral analysis can be useful as
a diagnostic tool in the examination of trace metal exposure, including
abnormal nutritional intake, and may assist in the study of certain mental
states. They (hair mineral analysis) may suggest mineral imbalances present in
the body that perhaps could be rectified by a mineral supplemented diet."
"Hair
metal testing is a fascinating new diagnostic tool and often gives unexpected
clues to mineral imbalances in the body.
The authors would support this statement from the results that they have
accumulated to date."
- Barlow, P. J.; Kapel, M., Metal and Sulfur Contents of Hair in
Relation to Certain Mental States. Hair,
Trace Elements, and Human Illness Brown, A.C.; Crounse, R. G., eds. Praeger
Publications, 1980.
"By
implementation of statistic pattern recognition methods, it has been found that
the concentrations of Tes (trace elements) in hair can remarkably reflect
different recovery phases of NPC (nasopharyngeal cancer) patients."
- Leung PL, Huang HM., Following the recovery of naso-pharyngeal cancer
patients by trace elements in hair using statistical pattern recognition
methods., Biol Trace Elem Res. 1998
Jun;62(3):235-53.
"We
suggest that the changed element status (Zn, Mg, and Cu) in hair may play an
indicator role in the diagnosis of epileptic patients."
- Ilhan A, Uz E, Kali S, Var A, Akyol O., Serum and hair trace element
levels in patients with epilepsy and healthy subjects: does the antiepileptic
therapy affect the element concentrations of hair?, Eur J Neurol. 1999 Nov;6(6):705-9.
ÒThe
constituents of the hair is determined by the entry of substances from external
sources and from substances which enter it from the blood stream.Ó
- Hopps, H. C.: The Biological Bases for Using Hair and Nail for
Analysis of Trace Elements. Sci Tot
Environ 1977; 7.
"The
analysis of blood, excreted by-products, and human head hair represents method
for determining body element levels."
- Pihl, R. O.; Drake, H.; Vrana, F. Department of Psychology, McGill
University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.: Hair Analysis in Learning and Behavior
Problems. Hair, Trace Elements, and Human
Illness. Brown, A. C.; Crounse, R. G., eds. Praeger Publications, 1980.
"Thus,
it is observed that there exists some positive correlation between element
levels in hair and nails and CHD (coronary heart disease), hypertension, and
diabetes of these subjects."
- Sukumar A, Subramanian R., Elements in hair and nails of urban
residents of New Delhi CHD, hypertensive, and diabetic cases., Biol Trace Elem Res. 1992
Jul;34(1):89-97.
"The
analysis of recently grown hair for zinc provides a biomarker of recent zinc
status."
- Rush E, Li L, Chandu V, Whiting R., Hair zinc concentrations not
subject to seasonal variation in adults in New Zealand., Biol Trace Elem Res. 2003 Dec;95(3):193-202.
"These
data confirm that the analysis of Zn in hair represents an addition to
conventional materials in the assessment of the nutritional status of groups of
individuals."
- Contiero E, Folin M., Trace elements nutritional status. Use of hair
as a diagnostic tool., Biol Trace Elem
Res. 1994 Feb;40(2):151-60.
ÒDietary
levels of some of the essential micro-elements have been reported to correspond
to hair concentrations of the elements.Ó
- Reinhold, J. G.; Kfoury, G. A.; Ghalambor, M. A.; Jean, C.: Zinc and
Copper Concentrations in Hair of Iranian Villagers. Am J Clin Nutr 1966; 18.
- Strain, W. H.; Steadman, L. T.;
Lankau, C. A.; Berliner, W. P.; Pories, W. J.: Analysis of Zinc Levels in Hair
for the Diagnosis of Zinc Deficiency in Man. J Lab Clin Med 1966; 68.
"ÉWe
suggest that hair concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, K, Na and Zn may be
correlated with adult female BMI, but further studies are needed."
- Wang, CT, et al., Concentrations of Calcium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium,
Potassium, Sodium and Zinc in Adult Females hair with Different Body Mass
Indexes in Taiwan, Clin. Chem. Lab. Med.
43, 4, 2005.
"The
above mentioned results indicate a positive influence of magnesium
supplementation on the decrease of lead and cadmium hair content in the
individuals studied."
- Kozielec T, Salacka A, Karakiewicz B., The influence of magnesium
supplementation on concentrations of chosen bioelements and toxic metals in
adult human hair. Magnesium and chosen bioelements in hair., Magnes Res. 2004 Sep;17(3):183-8.
"From
the analyses, it was clear that hair concentrations of Ca, Fe, and Zn could
reflect the effects of supplementation."
- Leung PL, Huang HM, Sun DZ, Zhu MG., Hair concentrations of calcium,
iron, and zinc in pregnant women and effects of supplementation., Biol Trace Elem Res. 1999
Sep;69(3):269-82.
"The
lithium content of human hair shows an approximately linear response to
extradietary lithium supplementation at dosage levels of up to 2000
micrograms/d."
- Schrauzer GN, Shrestha KP, Flores-Arce MF., Lithium in scalp hair of
adults, students, and violent criminals. Effects of supplementation and
evidence for interactions of lithium with vitamin B12 and with other trace
elements., Biol Trace Elem Res. 1992
Aug;34(2):161-76.
"One
such procedure which has shown great potential, at least for the determination
of micro-element nutriture..., is the use of hair as the biological sample.
Perhaps an even more important advantage would be that hair, by the very nature
of the sample, should reflect a rather long-term nutritional state rather than
recent (i.e. previous meal or day) dietary intake."
- Sauberlich, H. E.; Scala, J. H. Department of Nutrition, Letterman
Army Institute of Research, San Francisco, California.
- Dowdy, R. P. Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, and Food Systems
Management, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
"Hair
may provide a continuous record of nutritional status."
- Maugh, T. H. Hair: A Diagnostic Tool to Complement Blood Serum and
Urine. Science1978; 202.
"Changes
in the hair iron concentrations were accompanied by similar changes in the
concentrations of the markers most commonly used to diagnose and monitor iron
deficiency. The results suggest that quantification of hair iron may be useful
to complement evaluations of the body iron status."
- Bisse E, Renner F, Sussmann S, Scholmerich J, Wieland H., Hair iron
content: Possible marker to complement monitoring therapy of iron deficiency in
patients with chronic inflammatory bowel diseases?, Clin Chem. 1996 Aug;42(8 Pt 1):1270-4.
"It
is suggested that the low zinc level in the hair might provide an important
clue for diagnosing prostatic carcinoma at the early stage."
- Ouyang SY, Li SL., Investigation of trace elements in hair of patients
with prostate carcinoma, benign prostatic hypertrophy, and normal controls., Hunan Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2000 Jun
28;25(3):279-80.
"Hair
calcium concentration did reflect the risk of CHD on a population basis and was
strongly influenced by both the hardness of the water supply and the annual
sunshine hours which also independently affected the SMR for CHD."
- MacPherson A, Bacso J., Relationship of hair calcium concentration to
incidence of coronary heart disease., Sci
Total Environ. 2000 Jun 8;255(1-3):11-9.
"Wilcoxon
rank sum tests showed that patients with fibromyalgia had significantly higher
calcium and magnesium levels than the control subjects at alpha = .025 and .05,
respectively."
- Ng SY, Hair calcium and magnesium levels in
patients with fibromyalgia: a case center study, J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 1999 Nov-Dec;22(9):586-93.
"High
content of mercury in hair may be a risk factor for acute coronary events and
CVD (cardiovascular disease), CHD (coronary heart disease), and all-cause
mortality in middle-aged eastern Finnish men."
- Virtanen JK, Voutilainen S, Rissanen TH, Mursu J, Tuomainen TP,
Korhonen MJ, Valkonen VP, Seppanen K, Laukkanen JA, Salonen JT., Mercury, fish
oils, and risk of acute coronary events and cardiovascular disease, coronary
heart disease, and all-cause mortality in men in eastern Finland., Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2005
Jan;25(1):228-33. Epub 2004 Nov 11.
"The
elemental analysis of hair is becoming increasingly popular for the assessment
of nutritional status."
- Katz, S. A. Professor of Chemistry, Rutgers
University.: The Use of Hair as a Biopsy Material for Trace Elements in the
Body. Am Lab, Feb. 1979;
"Regarding
certain factors (age, sex, health, occupation, etc.), the influence causing the
change in element levels is obvious, whereas the influence of other factors
(structure of hair, height and weight of the subject, etc.) is obscure. It is very important to consider all
the factors at the time of investigation for effective interpretation,
validity, and application of results of hair analysis."
- Sukumar A., Factors influencing levels of trace elements in human
hair., Rev Environ Contam Toxicol.
2002;175:47-78.
"Research
literature supports the view that trace element content of the hair and nail
reflect body intake...from which one can conclude that hair and nail are
suitable samples for evaluating body stores."
- Hopps, H. C.: The Biological Bases for Using Hair and Nail for
Analysis of Trace Elements. Trace
Substances In Environmental Health VIII. Hemphill, D.D., ed. University of
Missouri, Columbia. 1974.
"This
reference range of trace elements in the mane hair of racing horses should be
used to assess disease and the nutritional status in equine practice."
- Asano R, Suzuki K, Otsuka T, Otsuka M,
Sakurai H., Concentrations of toxic metals and essential minerals in the mane
hair of healthy racing horses and their relation to age., J Vet Med Sci. 2002 Jul;64(7):607-10.
"Hair
concentrations may provide useful information on longer term nutrition."
- Casey, C. E.; Hambidge, K. M.: Trace Element Deficiencies in Man. Advances In Nutritional Research Vol.3.
Draper, H. H., ed. Plenum Pub., 1980.
- Hambidge, K. M.; Walravens, P.A.: Trace Elements in Nutrition. Prac Ped 1974, 1:1
"There
was good correlation between chromium levels in hair, sweat, and serum (r =
.536 to .729, P < .0001 for all correlations), indicating that hair and
sweat chromium levels are valid additions to the serum levels in assessing
chromium status."
-
Davies S, McLaren Howard J, Hunnisett A, Howard M., Age-related decreases in chromium
levels in 51,665 hair, sweat, and serum samples from 40,872
patients--implications for the prevention of cardiovascular disease and type II
diabetes mellitus., Metabolism. 1997
May;46(5):469-73.
"The
patients were divided into three groups of ten; one group was studied two years
after total hip replacement, one at four years, and one at six years. High levels of titanium and aluminum
were found in the hair, especially in the group studied six years after
implantation, while the levels of the three ions in the blood and urine were
not significant."
- Trinchi V, Nobis M, Cecchele D., Emission spectrophotometric analysis
of titanium, aluminum, and vanadium levels in the blood, urine, and hair of
patients with total hip arthroplasties., Ital
J Orthop Traumatol. 1992;18(3):331-9.
"The
study holds promise that hair selenium may be used as a monitoring tool for
low-level occupational exposure to selenium."
- Srivastava AK, Gupta BN, Bihari V, Gaur JS, Mathur N., Hair selenium
as a monitoring tool for occupational exposures in relation to clinical
profile., J Toxicol Environ Health.
1997 Aug 8;51(5):437-45.
"This
study has found association between NTD (neural tube defect) and decreased hair
zinc levels and large population based studies are recommended to confirm the
association between zinc and NTD and to investigate whether zinc
supplementation would reduce the overall incidence of NTD."
- Srinivas M, Gupta DK, Rathi SS, Grover JK, Vats V, Sharma JD, Mitra
DK., Association between lower hair zinc levels and neural tube defects., Indian J Pediatr. 2001 Jun;68(6):519-22.
"In
particular, hair magnesium and cadmium levels of control and patient groups
appear to have promising features for future work concerning urinary tract
stone disease."
- Durak I, Kilic Z, Perk H, Sahin A, Yurtarslani Z, Yasar A, Kupeli S,
Akpoyraz M., Iron, copper, cadmium, zinc and magnesium contents of urinary
tract stones and hair from men with stone disease., Eur Urol. 1990;17(3):243-7.
"Hair
lead levels have been found to correlate well with body lead
contamination."
- Black AP, Knight R, Batty J, Haswell SJ, Lindow SW., An analysis of
maternal and fetal hair lead levels., BJOG.
2002 Nov;109(11):1295-7.
"The
hair concentrations of Ca, Fe, Cu, and Zn in the three groups of gravida
(pregnant women) were lower or significantly lower than those in controls. In sera, the differences did not show
statistical significance in most cases"
- Huang HM, Leung PL, Sun DZ, Zhu MG., Hair and serum calcium, iron,
copper, and zinc levels during normal pregnancy at three trimesters., Biol Trace Elem Res. 1999
Aug;69(2):111-20.
"There
is now a considerable body of literature on the use of hair in forensic
science, in the diagnosis of disease states, and in the assessment of
nutritional status."
- Stevens, B. J.: Determination of Aluminum, Copper, and Zinc in Human
Hair. Atomic Spectroscopy 1983; 4:45
(thanks to Dr.
D. Watts, who compiled these quotes)
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