Trace Element Alterations in the Hair of Diabetic and Obese Women

Alterations in the trace element content can induce metabolic disorders as these elements are involved in the regulation of metabolism. Obesity increases the likelihood of various diseases, particularly cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, and is more prevalent in Saudi Arabia, especially in women. This study explored the potential of alterations in hair trace elements as long-term markers in diabetic and/or obese Saudi females. In total, 65 diabetic obese women, 47 non-diabetic obese women, and 70 normal-weight women were recruited. Clinical and familial history and anthropometric variables were recorded. Hair Se, Zn, Cu, Mn, and Fe levels were analyzed. Fasting blood sugar (FBS), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and lipid profile were analyzed. Our findings revealed a marked decrease of hair Zn, Mn, and Fe and elevated Se and Cu levels in obese women. In addition, Zn and Fe levels were decreased in diabetic women. Thus, the metabolic distress occurring in obesity and hyperglycemia may affect trace element status by increasing the excretion and decreasing the bioavailability of trace elements or redistributing them among various pools. Hair trace elements can serve as important long-term markers for metabolic disorders; however, larger prospective studies are warranted to validate their diagnostic and follow-up utilities.

Cross-sectional relationship between chronic stress and mineral concentrations in hair of elementary school girls

Chronic stress exposure is associated with diverse negative health outcomes. It has been hypothesised that stress may also negatively affect the body's mineral status. This study investigates the association between chronic stress and long-term mineral concentrations of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P) and zinc (Zn) in scalp hair among elementary school girls. Complete information on child-reported stress estimates (Coddington Life Events Scale (CLES)), hair cortisone and hair mineral concentrations, and predefined confounders in the stress-mineral relationship (i.e. age, body mass index, physical activity, diet, hair colour and parental education) was provided cross-sectionally for 140 girls (5-10 years old). The relationship between childhood stress measures (predictor) and hair minerals (outcome) was studied using linear regression analysis, adjusted for the abovementioned confounders. Hair cortisone concentrations were inversely associated with hair mineral concentrations of Ca, Mg, Zn and the Ca/P ratio. Children at risk by life events (CLES) presented an elevated Ca/Mg ratio. These findings were persistent after adjustment for confounders. This study demonstrated an independent association between chronic stress measures and hair mineral levels in young girls, indicating the importance of physiological stress-mineral pathways independently from individual or behavioural factors. Findings need to be confirmed in a more heterogeneous population and on longitudinal basis. The precise mechanisms by which stress alters hair mineral levels should be further elucidated.

Hair minerals and metabolic health in Belgian elementary school girls

Literature has repeatedly shown a relationship between hair minerals and metabolic health, although studies in children are currently lacking. This study aims to investigate hair levels of calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), iron (Fe), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn) and their association with (1) overweight/obesity and (2) metabolic health in Flemish elementary school girls between 5 and 10 years old. Two hundred eighteen girls participated in this study as part of the baseline ChiBS project. Children were subjected to physical examinations, blood and hair sampling. Hair minerals were quantitatively determined via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion. Body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage (BF%) were studied as anthropometric parameters, and a metabolic score (including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, insulin resistance and non-high-density lipoprotein (non-HDL) cholesterol as parameters) was calculated, with higher scores indicating a more unhealthy metabolic profile. Hair Ca, Ca/Mg, and Ca/P positively correlated with the anthropometric parameters. An inverse correlation was observed between Ca, Mg, and Ca/P in hair and the metabolic score. Inverse correlations were also observed for individual metabolic parameters (i.e., diastolic blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance, non-HDL cholesterol). In particular, girls with a total number of three or more metabolic parameters above the age-specific 75th percentile showed significantly reduced hair Ca, Mg, and Ca/P concentrations. This study showed reduced hair mineral concentrations in young girls with a more unhealthy metabolic profile. Positive associations were observed between some minerals and BMI and BF%.

Mineral concentrations in hair of Belgian elementary school girls: reference values and relationship with food consumption frequencies

Although evidence suggests that hair elements may reflect dietary habits and/or mineral intake, this topic remains controversial. This study therefore presents age-specific reference values for hair concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Na, Mg, P and Zn using the LMS method of Cole, and investigates the relationship between dietary habits (i.e. food consumption frequencies) and hair mineral concentrations in 218 Belgian elementary school girls by reduced rank regression (RRR). Hair minerals were quantitatively determined via inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after microwave-assisted acid digestion of 6-cm long vertex posterior hair samples. The Children's Eating Habits Questionnaire-Food Frequency Questionnaire was used to obtain information on food consumption frequency of 43 food items in the month preceding hair collection. The established reference ranges were in line with data for other childhood or adolescent populations. The retained RRR factors explained 40, 50, 45, 46, 44 and 48 % of the variation of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, P and Zn concentrations in hair, respectively. Although this study demonstrated that a large proportion of hair mineral variation may be influenced by food consumption frequencies in elementary school girls, a number of food groups known to be rich sources of minerals did not show a relation with certain hair minerals. Future research should focus on mechanisms and processes involved in mineral incorporation and accumulation in scalp hair, in order to fully understand the importance and influence of diet on hair minerals.

Chromium, zinc and magnesium concentrations in the pubic hair of obese and overweight women

The study addressed chromium, zinc and magnesium concentrations in the pubic hair of obese and overweight women. It was carried out on hair collected from 85 women at the age of 16-80 living in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship (southern Poland). The experimental and control groups consisted of 39 and 46 females, respectively. The pubic hair was prepared under a procedure established by the International Atomic Energy Agency, followed by wet digestion in a microwave oven. The concentration of the metals in the pubic hair and reference material was assayed with the flame (Mg, Zn) and flameless (Cr) atomic absorption spectrometry. The pubic hair of overweight and obese women from the experimental group revealed significantly higher chromium and magnesium concentrations and significantly lower concentrations of zinc than in the control group. An increase in BMI brought about an increase in chromium and magnesium concentrations while zinc concentration decreased with increasing BMI. The disturbances in the mineral balance of overweight and obese women were also demonstrated by significantly different ratios of the elements compared with the control group.

Determination of major and trace elements in human scalp hair by pressurized-liquid extraction with acetic acid and inductively coupled plasma–optical-emission spectrometry

An analytical method has been developed for determination of major (Ca, K, Mg, and Na) and trace elements (As, Cd, Co, Li, Ni, and Sr) in human scalp hair. The proposed method includes a novel, simple, rapid, highly efficient, and automated metal-leaching procedure, by pressurized-liquid extraction (PLE), combined with a rapid simultaneous detection system-inductively coupled plasma-optical-emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). PLE is one of the most promising recently introduced sample-preparation techniques, with the advantages of reducing solvent consumption and enabling automated sample handling. The operating conditions for PLE, including concentration of the extraction solvent, extraction temperature, static time, number of extraction steps, pressure, mean particle size, diatomaceous earth (DE) mass/sample mass ratio, and flush volume were studied using an experimental design (Plackett-Burman design, PBD). The optimum conditions were use of 0.75 mol L-1 acetic acid as extracting solution and powdered hair samples thoroughly mixed with DE, as a dispersing agent, at a DE mass/sample mass ratio of 4. Extraction was performed at room temperature and an extraction pressure of 140 atm for 5 min in one extraction step. The flush volume was fixed at 60%. The PLE-assisted multi-element leaching proposed is complete after 7 min (5 min static time plus 1 min purge time plus 1 min end relief time). Under the optimised conditions the figures of merit, for example limits of detection and quantification, repeatability of the over-all procedure, and accuracy, were evaluated. Analysis of GBW-07601 (human hair) certified reference material revealed accuracy was good for the target elements. The optimised method was finally applied to several human scalp-hair samples.

Concentrations of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc in adult female hair with different body mass indexes in Taiwan

We investigated concentrations of calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc using atomic absorption spectroscopy in the hair of four groups of adult females (n = 392), ranging in age from 20 to 50 years, with different body mass index (BMI): BMI < 18, slim group; BMI 18-25, normal group; BMI 26-35, overweight or obese group; and BMI>35, morbidly obese group. We found that the group with BMI < 18 had the highest ratios for [Ca]/[Mg], [Fe]/[Cu] and [Zn]/[Cu], but the lowest ratio for [K]/[Na] in hair. On the contrary, the group with BMI > 35 had the highest ratio for [K]/[Na], but the lowest for [Fe]/[Cu] and [Zn]/[Cu] in hair. Furthermore, when we compared concentrations of Ca, Cu, Fe, Mg, K, Na and Zn between the groups with BMI < 18 and BMI > 35, we found that there were significant differences (p < 0.05) in zinc concentrations between these two groups. In addition, there were significant differences in Ca, Cu, Mg, K and Na concentrations, with p < 0.01 at least. From this point of view, we 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.