Health-Library .: Hair Mineral Analysis and Nutrition

Summary

Today we have a health care system treating sickness with an unparalleled technical, pharmacological development - yet illness rates and degenerative disease continue to increase costing astronomical sums.

This huge economic burden along with the accompanying personal and social deterioration is forcing the public and their politicians to the recognition that a new approach based on a predictive / preventive model is necessary.

There is a growing body of evidence that effective nutrition and mineral metabolism plays a significant role in reducing and preventing the major killer of today. Coupling this with the newer improvements in detection and analysis, it seems that the assessment of body minerals has an important role to play in this much needed and more enlightened approach to health care.

or centuries curious investigators have been fascinated by the rare earths, and many noticed a casual connection between the presence of these mineral substances and human well-being. People felt better after drinking wine or water heated up with a red-hot sword or poker. Great health improvements and "miraculous cures" were reported from drinking the highly mineralized waters at spas. Nevertheless, it's only in the last quarter of a century, with the advent of refined technology, that researchers have been able to better understand the vital role that trace minerals play in human health and nutrition. Although our bodies can manufacture some of the essential substances we need, they can't make any of the minerals. It has been estimated that minerals are involved in more body functions than any other basic nutrients we consume including carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, and water. In fact, there are at least 96 times more minerals by weight in our body than vitamins (1).

Over 20 different minerals are now recognized as being essential to man - and certainly others will be added to that number. It has been observed that low levels of certain minerals (the nutrient minerals: eg. Ca, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Se, Zn, K, Na, P, and possibly V and Si) frequently proceed deficiency diseases, whereas the presence of heavy metals such as: Al, As, Cd, Pb, and Hg eventually lead to toxicity and neurological problems.

However, a key problem faces us in measuring mineral levels in the human body: what is the most reliable and accessible source for the data we require? Do we use body tissues or body fluids?

Usually blood, urine, liver biopsy, hair, or nails are the most commonly used objects for mineral analysis. Most of the metabolic processes taking place in the tissues are at the cellular or mitochondrial level. Blood, serves mostly as a transporter of nutrients and is not representative of tissue levels. Also, the minerals in the blood are in a much more diluted form with lower concentrations, causing analytical difficulties. Certain elements like magnesium and potassium, have a much higher concentration in the cells than in the extracellular fluids, like blood (IA). <<It is important to point out that a potassium deficiency may not be reflected in lowered extracellular fluid concentrations until late in the process. This is confirmed by the finding of low intracellular potassium concentrations in muscle biopsy when serum potassium is normal. Thus the serum potassium is not an accurate indicator of the true status of potassium balance (IA).>> The same is true in the case of magnesium (IA).

Other minerals in the blood, like calcium, will show fluctuations in extreme cases only. The homeostatic process will restore, replacing the low levels of calcium (caused by low intake, digestive/absorption problems or by metabolic displacement) by transferring calcium from the bones and / or teeth into the blood. Therefore, <<inadequate dietary intake of calcium is not reflected by changes in serum calcium levels (2)>>. Moreover, changes in blood calcium is a more sensitive measure of the efficiency of the parathyroid than the calcium status (3).

Acute exposure to toxic elements can be detected by blood analysis. As these elements tend to be deposited in different tissues (organs, bones, teeth) their level in the blood will return to normal despite the persisting symptoms of their toxicity. As stated by Petering et al. (4), <<blood is not a suitable material to analyze for cadmium, since the metal remains in the blood only briefly and in consequence, the levels are always low>>. Therefore, studies of cadmium and lead in blood show negative results, while analysis of hair might give a positive indication (5, 6, 7).

All the minerals and trace elements which the body rejects will be excreted in the urine. However, urine levels do not indicate tissue levels, but they are useful in monitoring the removal of toxic elements by chelation and other methods.

Some sources state or imply that trace element content of hair does not adequately reflect the tissue stores (8, 9). But since the various tissue stores do not necessarily correlate with each other, use of the term <tissue stores>> in this sense is confusing. Should one attempt to correlate hair levels with blood, or with liver, or with bone, etc.? The study of different lyophilized animal tissues indicate variations of the mineral levels in the different organ tissues. While the highest levels of Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn are in the liver tissue, the highest levels of Cr and Ni are in the adrenals of the female but not the male (10).

The involvement of copper in so many essential biochemical reactions in humans has long been recognized. Jacob et al. indicated that hair copper in adult rats was found to correlate directly with copper in whole liver (21). The comparative study of the copper content of the liver and hair of African children with kwashiorkor suggested a direct correlation between the reduced levels of copper in the hair and the liver of these subjects (22). A completely opposing view was expressed by EPSTEIN (23). «In primary biliary cirrhosis, hair copper does not reflect liver content and is of no value as a biopsy material for copper analysis.» As it is defined, cirrhosis is an inflammatory disease in which the normal cells are replaced by fibrous tissue. Passage of blood through this tissue may be obstructed by the cirrhosis. In biliary cirrhosis, the distribution of copper (and other nutrients) will not proceed as in a non-obstructed, «normal» liver. This is usually the case for all tissues, including hair.

In considering hair, the data collected from 3,564 Hair Tissue Mineral Analyses (HTMA) of individuals having a variety of hair colors, suggests that trace mineral levels in human hair are relatively independent of hair color (24). There is a general decrease of hair mineral concentration with age (9). People over the age of 40 tend to have grey or white hair. Further studies are needed to clarify whether the older individuals belonging to this age group lose their hair pigments because of metabolic difficulties caused by impaired digestion and / or absorption which in turn may result in deficiencies of different nutrients, including minerals. Perhaps a deficiency in essential minerals may cause accelerated aging and the resulting loss of hair pigment may serve as an indicator of this process.

In summary, an impressive body of literature supports the view that trace element content in hair reflects its nutritional status from which one can conclude that hair tissue is a suitable source for evaluating body stores (11-20). It is also easy to sample, requiring no special training or equipment and can be done without pain or embarrassment to the donor. Specimens do not deteriorate and may be kept indefinitely without requiring special storage or shipping conditions.

Analytical techniques

Recent improvement in analytical technology makes it possible to detect minerals at a level of parts per million (ppm) and sometimes even at lower levels (ppb). The methods mostly suitable for these analytical purposes are: Neutron Activation, Atomic Absorption and Emission in Flame or Flameless Spectroscopy, Inductively Coupled Argon Plasma Emission Spectroscopy and X-Ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy.

Sample preparation

Always take a hair sample from the same location. A commonly used site is from the nape of the neck. The growth rate of human hair from this area is about 0.45 mm/day, com- pared with pubic hair which grows more slowly, on the order of 0.2 mm/day (26). For this reason, pubic hair is used for confirmation of endogenously present toxic elements only.

J.M. McKenzie (27) studied the effect of various washing procedures upon trace elements in the hair tissue. Table 1 shows the influence of the various washing procedures on human hair which has been soaked in solutions containing zinc or copper of either low or high concentrations, as it relates to a control hair sample.

Is hair tissue mineral analysis a diagnostic aid?

This question has been brought up quite often, mostly to prove that indeed it is not a useful aid in making a diagnosis. This is analogous to saying, that the test for low levels of ascorbic acid does not diagnose scurvy. At the same time, one can predict that if the ascorbic acid deficiency is not corrected, the appearance of scurvy can be expected.

The process of breaking down food into its molecular composition and the utilization of the many individual nutrients is a very complex biochemical activity. It involves a great number of enzyme systems, and in many of them, minerals and certain vitamins are playing essential roles either as catalysts and./or co-enzymes. These biochemical reactions are taking place in an interlocking system in which one step follows the other using the product of the previous step. If there are any deficiencies or inadequately balanced quantities present in the reaction mixture, the next step will not be completed and the biochemical activity will come to a halt.

A good example of this process is the test for Glucose Tolerance. It indicates how well the biofeedback mechanism takes care of the endocrine balance and indirectly reveals its adequacy in the production of energy (ADP to ATP). Guinea pigs were fed chow deficient in vitamin C only. After three weeks of such depletion, the animals showed a typical diabetic curve, which returned to a normal GT after replenishing the diet with vitamin C (40).

A very similar effect was achieved by using a guinea pig chow which was depleted by one single mineral, namely manganese. Manganese is recognized as playing an important role in the functioning of isocitric dehydrogenase, an important control enzyme in the regulation of the Krebs Cycle (41). Additionally, manganese is involved in the interconversion of phenylalanine into thyroxine (42), which in turn regulates the intestinal absorption of glucose (43). Guinea pigs deficient in manganese showed decreased utilization of glucose and in consequence, had a diabetic-like glucose tolerance curve in response to glucose loading. The supplementation of manganese completely reversed the abnormal GT (44).

Interaction of minerals and trace elements

The observation in nature that soils rich in certain minerals can cause a deficiency in others has incited many nutritionists to study this interrelationship among the different elements. In the last 40 years, many studies were conducted in order to find the explanation for these antagonistic.

It was found that ions whose valance shell electronic structures (49) or electronic configurations (50-52) were similar, would be antagonistic. These studies were conducted on animals, and the survival time and body weight gain or loss were used to measure the biological effects of the interaction of the different elements.

Impressive data was compiled by the Task Group on Metal Interaction in 1978 (53) and also on nutrient interaction with toxic elements (54).

All of the above information was collected and is shown in a chart form in Fig. 5. The elements connected by a line indicates antagonism. In using this chart as an aid in preparing a supplementation program, one should be aware of any imbalance among the elements and the antagonistic effects should be taken into consideration, when calculating the dosage of the supplimented element. Also, the time of intake should allow an interval of 2-3 hours in order to avoid possible competition at the absorption site.

Some examples are given here to emphasize the importance of a well- balanced mineral environment of the body and the possible detrimental effects caused when it is lacking. A recently published work (55) shows, that children with lower dietary calcium intake are more prone to lead-burden than children with a diet richer in calcium (Table 4). Ingesting a low calcium diet and a given quantity of lead (56), resulted in approximately a four fold increase in blood lead concentrations in rats (Fig. 6). Tissue lead concentrations were greatly elevated with a low calcium diet; however, the increase of lead in soft tissue was much greater than in bone (Table 5).

The same imbalance is illustrated in the paper of CAPEL et al. (57), in which dyslexic to normal children were compared. The dyslexic had increased levels of aluminum and cadmium in hair tissue, compared to low levels of calcium and zinc (paradoxical).

The data on the interaction of essential minerals and toxic elements can be used effectively in two ways:

A. By balancing the elevated nutritional mineral with increased intake (food, supplementation) of an antagonistic nutritional element,

B. Replacement therapy: removing toxic body minerals with antagonistic elements, which are most probably deficient in the diet in the first place.

For instance, lead can be removed by zinc and calcium. Zinc displaces cadmium, mercury,. and aluminum as well. Also, copper is antagonistic to lead and cadmium; its use for this purpose is more limited than that of zinc. As its tolerance level is much lower before it becomes toxic. As a basic principle, if the presence of a toxic element is indicated in the HTMA, a re-check of this element in pubic hair would confirm it as being systemic and not merely exogenous contamination. This would then fully justify proceeding with a replacement / de-toxification program.

It is a pleasure to acknowledge the excellent technical assistance of Mrs. Lesley Marsh.

Zinc/Copper

References

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CHATTOPADHYAY, A., ROBERTS, T. M., JERVIS, R. E.: Scalp Hair as a Monitor of Community Exposure to Lead, Arch. Environ. Health, 1977; 32. 226-236.
VALENTIN, I. L., KANG, H. K., SPIVEY, G.: Arsenic Levels in Human Blood. Urine and Hair in Response to Exposure via Drinking Water. Environ. Res. 1979; 20: 24-32.
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MCBEAt4, L. D., MOHSEN MARLOUDII, M.S., REINHOLD, J. G., HALSTED, J. A.: Correlation of Zinc Concentrations in Human Plasma and Hair, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1971; 24: 506-509.
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HILDEBRANT, D.C., WHITE, D.H.; Trace Element Analysis in Hair: An Evaluation, Clin. Chem. 1974; 20: 148-151.
KLEVAY, L. M.: Hair as a Biopsy Material, Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1970; 23: 377-378.
MCKENZIE, J. M.: Tissue Concentration of Cadmium, Zinc, and Copper from Autopsy Samples, New Zealand J.Med. 1974; 79:1016-1019.
HARRISON, W.W., YURACHEK, J.P., BENSON, C. A.: The Determination of Trace Elements in Human Hair by Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy, Clin. Chem. Acta 1969; 23: 83-91.
REEVES, R. D., JOLLEY, K. W., BUCK- LEY, P.D.: Lead in Human Hair: Rela- tion to Age, Sex, and Environmental Factors, Bull. Environ. Contam. Toxicol. 1975,14:579-587.
CLEG, M.S., KEEN, C.L., HURE.,XY, L.S.: Biological Trace Element Pes. 1981; 3:107-115.
IMAES, D., PATE, B.: Spatial Distribution of Copper in Individual Human Hairs, J. Forsensic Sci. 1976, 21.- 127-149.
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Ratio and Hair Color

Diet may have something to do with hair color. Drs. Ewin Eads and Charles Lambdin of Lamar University tell us that the ratio of zinc to copper is highest for dark hair and decreases with the increase in lightness in hair color. Gray hair shows lower zinc/copper ratio than that of the nongray hair of younger people. A gray-haired person, aged 60 had a Z/C of 5.4. Another, at the age of 44, had an 8.6 ratio. Black, brown and red hair went as high as 15.8. A significantly higher level of zinc was present in every person with darker hair. Zinc may be implicated in the production of melanin pigments in the hair. In sheep whose black wool is an inherited characteristic, lack of copper turns the hair white long before there is any other symptom of anemia or other copper deficiency ailment. Sheepmen know they can produce wool which is alternately black, then white, then black again, by varying the amounts of copper in the diets of their animals. White hair is caused by a deficiency of copper. The health of everything associated with skin appears to be related to the zinc content of the diet.

Changing White Hair to Black?

A Japanese researcher found that each hair color is associated with a certain pattern of several trace minerals. When he removed all the trace minerals, every type of hair became white. He could produce color in hair depending on the combination of minerals, and not to what the original color of the hair had been. Steroids reverse structural age changes in the skin (progesterone, testosterone, pregnenolone) sometimes restored hair growth. Severe stress associated with sudden graying of the hair also would suggest that excessive cortisone destroys melanin. Oxygen wastage is a central event in aging. When oxygen is deficient, iron becomes very toxic. Copper is involved in a process that restores iron to its non-toxic form. Vitamin C in the right amount is metabolically linked with vitamin E in protecting against the toxic free radicals produced by iron.

Black sheep will produce white wool if they are fed an excess of molybdenum. It is supposedly caused by a displacement of copper. With aging and stress, we accumulate too much of the wrong metals, such as iron. On a diet low in iron and high in copper, he was able to change some white hairs to black. Ray Peat, Newsletter, Eugene, Oregon.

on Hair Mineral Analysis

George M. Tamari, Ph.D.,
President, Anamol Laboratories.
83 Citation Dr., Unit 9, Concord, ON, Canada L4K 2Z6



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