Skip to main content
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 1979 Dec;54(12):958–960. doi: 10.1136/adc.54.12.958

Concentration of zinc in the hair of schoolchildren.

N Heinersdorff, T G Taylor
PMCID: PMC1545757  PMID: 533300

Abstract

The concentration of zinc in the hair of 219 schoolchildren aged between 10 and 11 years was measured and related to height, weight, estimates of consumption of zinc-rich foods, number of children living at home, and rank in family. None of the correlation coefficients between hair zinc and the other variables was significant. Mean concentration of zinc was higher (P less than 0.001) in the girls (146 microgram/g; 2.23 mumol/g) than in the boys (118 microgram/g; 1.81 mumol/g). Eight children (3.7% of the total) had less than 75 microgram/g (less than 1.15 mumol/g) zinc in their hair but only one of them was below the 10th centile for height or weight--a girl with coeliac disease.

Full text

PDF
958

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Frisch R. E., Revelle R. Height and weight at menarche and a hypothesis of menarche. Arch Dis Child. 1971 Oct;46(249):695–701. doi: 10.1136/adc.46.249.695. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Hambidge K. M., Hambidge C., Jacobs M., Baum J. D. Low levels of zinc in hair, anorexia, poor growth, and hypogeusia in children. Pediatr Res. 1972 Dec;6(12):868–874. doi: 10.1203/00006450-197212000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Klevay L. M. Hair as a biopsy material. I. Assessment of zinc nutriture. Am J Clin Nutr. 1970 Mar;23(3):284–289. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/23.3.284. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. MAWSON C. A., FISCHER M. I. Zinc and carbonic anhydrase in human semen. Biochem J. 1953 Nov;55(4):696–700. doi: 10.1042/bj0550696. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. McKenzie J. M. Alteration of the zinc anc copper concentration of hair. Am J Clin Nutr. 1978 Mar;31(3):470–476. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/31.3.470. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. McKenzie J. M. Content of zinc in serum, urine, hair, and toenails of New Zealand adults. Am J Clin Nutr. 1979 Mar;32(3):570–579. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/32.3.570. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. PRASAD A. S., HALSTED J. A., NADIMI M. Syndrome of iron deficiency anemia, hepatosplenomegaly, hypogonadism, dwarfism and geophagia. Am J Med. 1961 Oct;31:532–546. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(61)90137-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. PRASAD A. S., MIALE A., Jr, FARID Z., SANDSTEAD H. H., SCHULERT A. R., DARBY W. J. Biochemical studies on dwarfism, hypogonadism, and anemia. Arch Intern Med. 1963 Apr;111:407–428. doi: 10.1001/archinte.1963.03620280007003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Ronaghy H. A., Halsted J. A. Zinc deficiency occurring in females. Report of two cases. Am J Clin Nutr. 1975 Aug;28(8):831–836. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/28.8.831. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Ronaghy H. A., Reinhold J. G., Mahloudji M., Ghavami P., Fox M. R., Halsted J. A. Zinc supplementation of malnourished schoolboys in Iran: increased growth and other effects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1974 Feb;27(2):112–121. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/27.2.112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES