Problems with hair zinc as an indicator of body zinc status | Problems with hair zinc as an indicator of body zinc status. [letter]
1980
Bradfield, Robert B. | Hambidge, K. Michael
Since protein-calorie malnutrition significantly affects the amount of hair produced and its growth rate, the use of trace element content of hair may not provide a relevant measure of circulating levels of those elements. For example, kwashiorkor in black children in South Africa resulted in linear hair growth cut by half, and hair production by 90%. The explanation may be that severity of malnutrition is related to the body's need to conserve nitrogen through slower hair growth, which would then change the relative amount of zinc present. The relationship of low hair and plasma zinc to smaller stature was examined in a study of 90 Hispanic-American 4-year-olds; results indicated that low zinc levels were more likely due to poor growth than to genetic factors.
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