The reliability of Hair Analysis Labs

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If you wish to read the entire article then goto:

http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/current/rfull/jsc00020.html

Here is a summary:(the paper is in the Jan. 3, 2001 issue of JAMA

(Journal of American Medical Assoc.)

Assessment of Commercial Laboratories Performing Hair Mineral Analysis

Sharon Seidel, PhD; Kreutzer, MD; , DrPH;

McNeel, DVM; Debra Gilliss, MD

Context Hair mineral analysis is being used by health care

practitioners and promoted by laboratories as a clinical assessment

tool and to identify toxic exposures, despite a 1985 study that found

poor reliability for this test.

Objective To assess whether the reliability of data from commercial

laboratories advertising multimineral hair analyses for nutritional or

toxicity assessment has improved since the 1985 study.

Design, Setting, and Participants A split hair sample taken from near

the scalp of a single healthy volunteer was submitted for analysis to

6 commercial US laboratories, which analyze 90% of samples submitted

for mineral analysis in the United States.

Main Outcome Measures Agreement of test results for each analyte,

laboratory reference ranges, laboratory characteristics, and

interpretation of health implications.

Results Laboratory differences in highest and lowest reported mineral

concentrations for the split sample exceeded 10-fold for 12 minerals,

and statistically significant (P<.05) extreme values were reported for

14 of the 31 minerals that were analyzed by 3 or more laboratories.

Variations also were found in laboratory sample preparation methods

and calibration standards. Laboratory designations of normal reference

ranges varied greatly, resulting in conflicting classifications (high,

normal, or low) of nearly all analyzed minerals. Laboratories also

provided conflicting dietary and nutritional supplement

recommendations based on their results.

Conclusions Hair mineral analysis from these laboratories was

unreliable, and we recommend that health care practitioners refrain

from using such analyses to assess individual nutritional status or

suspected environmental exposures. Problems with the regulation and

certification of these laboratories also should be addressed.

JAMA. 2001;285:67-72