Question: How useful is hair trace mineral analysis (HTMA) for nutritional testing?
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.
This is a clip from a live Q&A session open to CMJ Masterpass members. In addition to this episode, you can access two other free samples using this link:
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/questions-on-hair-trace-mineral-analysis
In that batch of free episodes you will also find the answer to this question:
If you want to become a Masterpass member so you can participate in the next live Q&A, or so you can have access to the complete recording and transcript of each Q&A session, you can save 10% off the subscription price for as long as you remain a member by using this link to sign up:
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/qanda
Learn more about the Masterpass here:
https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/about
This snippet is from the June 16, 2023 AMA. The full recording and transcript is reserved for Masterpass members. Here is a preview of what's included:
-
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?
Here's a link to the full AMA: https://chrismasterjohnphd.substack.com/p/recording-and-transcript-of-the-june-a55
Access the show notes, transcript, and comments here.
Chris Masterjohn, PhD, is the Founder and Scientific Director of the mitochondria test Mitome.
