26 citations
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April 1975 in “Journal of Wildlife Management” This study found that Alaskan moose hair mineral content varied seasonally and by location, with differences in magnesium, copper, and manganese levels linked to winter-killed calves.
30 citations
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November 1985 in “American Journal of Veterinary Research” This study observed that cattle grazing all-grass or grass-legume pastures showed varying mineral concentrations in hair, blood, urine, and liver, with significant correlations between hair and serum magnesium and copper levels.
21 citations
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April 2009 in “Trace Elements and Electrolytes” This study found that autistic children had significantly lower iron levels and higher selenium levels in their hair compared to healthy peers, with variations observed between autistic boys and girls.
January 2026 in “Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology” This study found that living environment significantly influenced Fe concentrations in dog and cat hair, with outdoor animals showing higher levels than those kept indoors.
1 citations
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January 2017 in “Annals of dermatology/Annals of Dermatology” Mineral levels in hair don't significantly affect the severity of atopic dermatitis in children.
This study found that the levels of heavy metal contamination in hair were higher in both men and women with hair loss compared to those without.
January 1984 in “Isotopenpraxis Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies” This study determined the levels of several elements including iodine and bromine in hair samples from patients with various thyroid diseases compared to control groups without such conditions.
5 citations
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January 1976 in “Acta Dermato Venereologica” This study found that sodium and potassium hair levels may serve as sex-specific indicators, with slight differences in copper and iron content between males and females, particularly during the female reproductive period.
2 citations
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January 1976 in “Munich Personal RePEc Archive (Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich)” This study found that sodium and potassium levels in scalp hair might be sex-specific indicators, while females had slightly higher copper and iron levels, particularly during the reproductive period.
1 citations
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November 2023 in “Frontiers in veterinary science” Goat hair shows changes in metal levels and stress when goats move from indoors to mountain pastures.
65 citations
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August 2016 in “Metabolic brain disease” This study found that children with autism spectrum disorder generally have lower levels of both essential and toxic trace elements in their hair compared to controls.
63 citations
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May 2017 in “American Journal of Clinical Dermatology” This review found that patients with alopecia areata may have lower levels of vitamin D, zinc, and folate, but conflicting evidence precludes definitive clinical recommendations for micronutrient supplementation.
October 2025 in “Diseases” This study reports that women with hair loss had significantly lower levels of several biomarkers, including hemoglobin, iron, copper, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin B12, folate, and thyroid hormones, compared to healthy controls.
November 2023 in “Biology” This study investigated 130 patients and found a significant inverse correlation between copper content and the copper/zinc ratio in hair samples and the extent of coronary artery disease, while zinc content alone showed no significant relationship with disease extent.
January 2016 in “Journal of animal research” This study found significant correlations for copper and zinc levels between hair and plasma in Pomeranian and Labrador dogs, but no significant correlation for iron.
7 citations
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January 2018 in “PubMed” In this study, reduced serum levels of iron, copper, and calcium were associated with premature graying of hair, suggesting that supplementation might help, but more research is needed to fully understand the relationship.
2 citations
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June 2016 in “Russian Journal of Skin and Venereal Diseases” This study reported a decrease in zinc and iron levels in the blood and an increase in certain trace elements in hair among patients with alopecia areata compared to healthy individuals.
This study found that telogen effluvium is strongly linked to lower serum levels of ferritin and vitamin D, especially in predominantly female patients.
March 2025 in “American journal of biochemistry & biotechnology/American journal of biochemistry and biotechnology” This study observed that individuals with hair loss had significantly higher levels of serum galanin, troponin, prolactin, and FSH, and lower levels of TSH, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, and calcium compared to healthy controls, suggesting a potential role of these biomarkers in hair loss.
6 citations
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January 1988 in “PubMed” This case report describes a woman who developed green hair due to high copper levels in swimming pool water, exacerbated by hair treatments and inadequate water replacement.
3 citations
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November 2020 in “Biological Trace Element Research” This study found that patients with androgenetic alopecia had deficiencies in certain trace elements and vitamins, which were linked to distinct patterns of hair loss connected to androgen levels.
2 citations
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February 2023 in “International journal of molecular sciences” This study identified that copper depletion in dermal papilla cells reduced hair growth by boosting ROS levels, but ROS scavengers like NAC and ascorbic acid partially alleviated this effect.
2 citations
,
January 2011 This study found that zinc levels were significantly decreased in both alopecia areata and vitiligo patients compared to controls, suggesting zinc may play an important role in the etiopathogenesis of these conditions.
17 citations
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January 2013 in “International Journal of Cosmetic Science” This study found that individuals who perceive their hair health as poor tend to have higher levels of metals on their hair, emphasizing the impact of environmental metal exposure.
January 2007 in “Журнал Гродненского государственного медицинского университета” This study found that plasmapheresis treatment in children with total alopecia led to a decrease in lead levels and improved hair growth, which was not achieved with Spirulina platentis supplements.
1 citations
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June 2013 in “Semina Ciências Agrárias” This study found that although soil and forage in Middle Paraíba, Brazil, contained normal to high copper levels, the surrounding bovine populations showed signs of copper deficiency likely due to antagonistic effects from high iron, zinc, and manganese levels.
April 1981 in “Pediatric research” This study found that abnormal liver and kidney copper metabolism in Br females had no clinical effects, whereas defective brain copper metabolism in Br males was clinically significant.
This study observed that using only a 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor was ineffective for treating androgen-dependent hair loss in women, possibly due to differing copper levels influencing enzyme activity.
12 citations
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June 2022 in “International Journal of Molecular Sciences” In this study, copper was found to promote the proliferation of dermal papilla cells in Rex rabbits by maintaining the function of the cellular mitochondrial electron transport chain.
This review discusses the role of nutrients in hair graying management and finds a possible link between low copper, iron, and vitamin B12 levels and premature hair graying.