Question: How useful is hair trace mineral analysis (HTMA) for nutritional testing?
This is a question asked live during the June 16, 2023 AMA.
Short Answer: Hair trace mineral analysis is included as an optional add-on in the comprehensive nutritional screening from Testing Nutritional Status: The Ultimate Cheat Sheet, because it can capture data for some ultra-trace minerals for which there are no better-validated tests, and it might capture a pattern that might not be picked up as quickly with blood work, such as a mineral transport issue. However, its utility is limited by the fact that hair mineral content is not well validated as a test for any specific mineral, is generally anti-validated when there is enough science on a mineral (such as zinc, where hair zinc does not go down in deficiency), and should not be used as a central piece of data without corroboration from other more well-validated tests, which exist for most of the nutrients.
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This snippet is from the June 16, 2023, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what’s included:
Ask Me Anything | June 16, 2023 AMA
Questions on hair trace mineral analysis, the real problem with seed oils, the supposed vitamin C tyrosinase complex, respiratory chain disorders, body composition, and more.
The questions include:
What is the real issue with seed oils?
Vitamin C: Synthetic Vs. Natural
Butyrate for Hashimoto’s? What else?
What in the comprehensive nutritional screening is helping to interpret lactate/pyruvate and ketone ratios?
Is the solution to a respiratory chain disorder to take Niagen?
If I have high manganese on an HTMA, do I need to detox?
Should CFS patients target reducing their serum BH4?
What to do about low alkaline phosphatase?
If my glucose spikes above 140, should I eat fiber and take ACV before the meal, eat cinnamon with the meal, chew slowly, and move for ten minutes after my meals?
Difficulty getting Quest to do the lactate/pyruvate ratio correctly.
Is 38 milligrams of niacinamide enough to rule out niacin deficiency as a cause of low NAD+?
How does optimizing body composition help optimize energy metabolism? Can impaired energy metabolism make someone fatter?
Is monounsaturated fat the best fat?
Manganese followup.
Do you need to stop taking biotin before a biotin test?
What in "a bunch of supplements" flip the lactate/pyruvate ratio from high to low?
NAD infusions, yay or nay?
Why do I feel better after a warm shower, even better than after sunshine?
Should I cut back on vitamin A if I have toxicity symptoms but cutting back makes me get sick?
Do home blood drop tests have to be pricked at the finger?
Is it true that my boyfriend was just born a night owl?
How much eating out is too much?
When measuring ketones, lactate, and glucose at home to optimize energy metabolism, what time of day should we take the measurements?
Disclaimer
I am not a medical doctor and this is not medical advice. My goal is to empower you with information. Please make all health decisions yourself, consulting sources you trust, including a caring health care professional.
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