Hair Mineral Analysis: Benefits & Ration Balancing
Minerals are absolutely essential for the normal healthy functioning of all living cells. Minerals have strong interactions with all other nutrients, especially the vitamins. For example, vitamin C improves the absorption of iron and vitamin D is essential for the proper utilization of calcium.
Minerals are necessary for energy production, fluid balance, normal growth, the formation and activation of hormones, bone formation, the rate of healing, and the health and balance of every cell and tissue in the body. Minerals also function as co-enzymes and enzyme activators. A healthy balance of minerals allows for a more efficient, balanced and healthy metabolism.
The use of hair mineral analysis (HMA) to gain insight into nutritional status and the metabolic states associated with them is well established scientifically and is gaining widespread acceptance among owners and trainers. HMA reports when properly interpreted give an enormous amount of very useful information regarding nutritional and metabolic balances, mineral excesses, deficiencies, the presence of toxic minerals, and the inter-relationships between them that can contribute to a state of optimal health or the increasing risk of developing health problems. HMA by itself cannot show or predict any disease state. It is however extremely accurate in allowing us to gain insight into the metabolic trends and patterns that signify increased risks of distress that at some point may manifest into an actual disease state.
Hair mineral analysis is a laboratory test that measures mineral content present in the hair. The mineral content of the hair can give an overview of the mineral levels in the body’s tissues and the changes that occur over time. A hair sample should be taken in small portions from several areas of the horse's mane. Cut the hair as close to the skin as possible with the length not exceeding 2 inches. The amount of hair necessary for an accurate analysis is approximately one tablespoon. Sampling scissors should be high quality stainless steel to avoid possible contamination from rusty scissors. Hair should not be sampled from other parts of the body, as it may not reflect an accurate representation of mineral balances.
Blood has to maintain a strict balance or homeostasis to sustain life. Unlike hair, blood mineral levels stay relatively the same even when the tissue mineral levels are changing.
There are many reasons for mineral imbalances to occur:
Mental, physical and emotional stress.
Exposure to environmental toxins.
The use of medications and/or inappropriate nutritional supplementation.
Consumption of highly processed, high sugar feeds and heavily processed fats and oils.
Inherited genetic patterns.
Mineral imbalances affect essentially every tissue in the body and can be a major factor in a number of changes in the metabolism.
Minerals have strong interrelationships with each other to maintain metabolic balance. The ratios of minerals to each other are in many respects equally as important as the individual level of any single mineral.
One of the most important pieces of information that an HMA can show is the amount of “inflammatory stress” that the horses’ body is experiencing. When most people think of inflammation, immediately and rightfully the –itis’s come to mind. Arthritis, bursitis, tendonitis, and gastritis are a few of the most common inflammatory manifestations. However, inflammatory patterns are not limited to these –itis’s only. In the last twelve years, we have analyzed several thousand equine HMA’s. In many respects, the most important component gathered from the HMA is the number of ways and the degree of inflammatory stress that the horses’ body is attempting to manage.
Inflammatory stress and the subsequent symptoms associated with it can be shown in any number of ways. Since each horse is genetically unique, the actual symptoms associated with inflammatory stress can be very different from one horse to another, even if the horses have common genetics – such as blood relatives, and/or common environments. It is possible to have several horses with the same or similar inflammatory stresses on an HMA and show a completely different “set of problems or conditions” or no problems at all in each of the individual horses. This is dependent on the genetic strengths and weaknesses of the individual horse. Every horse will have inherent strong and weak points. Wherever the genetic weaknesses are, this is the most likely area that inflammatory symptoms will occur. For example, a horse with hives is manifesting an inflammatory pattern associated with the skin. Breathing distress is an inflammatory pattern manifesting symptomatically in the respiratory system. A horse with joint problems is showing an inflammatory stress pattern that is affecting the joint, and so on.
One of the greatest concerns horse owners have is an allergic reaction. This is a great example of the “individualized symptoms” concept of inflammatory stress. Allergies are notorious for showing themselves in any number of different ways. Hives and respiratory issues are at the top of the list in terms of the types of symptoms that inflammatory stresses can generate. We now know that the “allergic” reactions can affect almost any tissue in the body and that this occurrence is a direct result of an inflammatory stress that has not been controlled within the horses’ body.
Keep in mind that inflammation in and of itself is not all negative. The horses’ body utilizes specific forms of inflammation to destroy viruses, bacteria, and parasites. Forms of inflammation are absolutely essential for normal immune function, but in a very tightly controlled manner that allows the body to maintain optimal function and disease resistance.
The HMA’s contribution in determining this excessive inflammatory stress is shown clearly in any number of ways. The HMA results give an effective method to identify the stresses in the horse’s metabolism.
The presence of any toxic minerals automatically increases the amount of excessive inflammation. Every toxic mineral will uniquely affect certain aspects of the body and the metabolism. Aluminum and arsenic are the two most common environmental toxins that have been found in the equine HMA’s. Aluminum is by far the most common toxin that is found in horses. Aluminum exposure can occur from airborne aluminum, certain feed processing techniques, and the effect of acid rain on soil that increases aluminum’s uptake into pasture.
The toxic mineral arsenic can also generate major inflammatory stresses. Arsenic can also occur in airborne exposures, usually from pesticide and herbicide residues evenif the source of those chemicals is several hundred miles away. Well-water contamination is a very common source of arsenic exposure. In some states, up to 70% of the wells are estimated to be contaminated with arsenic.
Minerals, such as selenium, which allow the horse’s body to effectively control inflammatory stress, are often excessively high or low during periods of increasing inflammatory stress. Selenium blood tests can be normal and the levels of selenium in the tissue can actually be low. This is not inconsistent. Normal selenium blood tests indicate only that the circulating selenium levels are normal. This does not necessarily indicate that the levels of selenium in the tissues of the body are normal. By the time a blood selenium level is low, the tissue levels of selenium most often have been low for some time. Selenium is well known as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory. Interestingly, selenium is also involved in allowing the horse’s body to detoxify arsenic.
There are many other indications of inflammatory stress that an HMA can easily show. Major imbalances between the minerals, stress response and recovery, blood sugar control, insulin patterns and immune defense patterns, are just a few of the many indicators of inflammatory stress in the HMA. Incorporating HMA with proper interpretation can be a storehouse of information that indicates the inflammatory stresses and gives insight into which nutritional interventions are the most important to rebalance the metabolism, reduce toxic minerals, and ultimately stabilize the inflammatory stress patterns to reduce or eliminate the dangerous and damaging effects of excessive inflammatory stress.
Hay nutrient analysis offers valuable insights into the levels of nutrients being consumed. This is of particular importance in balancing calcium and phosphorus intakes. Consumption of grass hay, which is typically high in phosphorus and low in calcium, can imbalance the calcium/phosphorus ratio and contribute to calcium deficiency. Consumption of alfalfa hay, which is high in calcium can imbalance the calcium/phosphorus ratio on the calcium side and contribute to calcium mismanagement health issues. The levels of other trace elements in hay are also important. The levels of these minerals also should be accounted for to aid in developing a balanced ration.
It is important to realize that hay analysis and the balancing associated with it constitutes intake levels only. Just because the ration is balanced on paper does not necessarily mean that the utilization of those nutrients will be optimal. Often times a hay analysis is combined with a hair mineral analysis to monitor intake of nutrients and the levels and balance of nutrients that are actually in the tissues of the body.
