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Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 1990 36(5):230-234; doi:10.1093/tropej/36.5.230
© 1990 by Oxford University Press
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Trace Elements in the Hair of Healthy and Malnourished Children

Charles W. Weber, PhD*, George W. Nelson, PhD**, Martha Vasquez de Vaquera, MD*** and Paul B. Pearson, PhD***

*Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
**Department of Nuclear and Energy Engineering, University of Arizona Tucson, AZ, USA
***Departmento de Nutricion, Universiadad Autonoma de Guadalajara Mexico

Pre-school age children from the metropolitan area of Guadaljara, Mexico, consisting of 47 malnourished children were evaluated for mineral status by hair samples and nutritional status by anthropometric measurements and haemoglobin levels. Hair minerals were determined by either atomic absorption spectroscopy or instrumental neutron activation analysis. Malnourished children had significantly lower hair zinc while the iron and copper levels were significantly higher. Hair concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and manganese were not significantly different between healthy and malnourished children. Sixty per cent of the malnourished children's haemoglobin values were either marginal or deficient while 45 per cent of the haematocrlts readings were either marginal or deficient. Malnourished children in weight-for-age category were 81 per cent malnourished; by weight-for-height 55 per cent were malnourished and by height-for-age 59 per cent were malnourished. The overall nutritional status of malnourished children can be characterized as mild to severe malnutrition with a chronic stunting of growth. Hair zinc values were a good indicator of nutritional status.


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