Comparison of Mineral Levels in Blood and Hair Samples of Healthy Adults: Evaluating the Clinical Utility of Hair Mineral Analysis

This pilot study investigated the correlation between mineral levels in blood and scalp hair of 30 generally healthy adults, focusing on minerals such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, copper, zinc, phosphorus, iron, and selenium. The study found no significant correlation between hair and blood mineral values for most minerals. A weak inverse correlation was observed for phosphorus, and a direct correlation for zinc was noted before outlier removal but not after. Overall, the study concluded that hair mineral analysis does not reliably reflect blood mineral concentrations but may have unique clinical utility for assessing long-term mineral trends and imbalances.