Spectroscopic Investigation of the Hair of Diabetic Patients

Diabetes is a major disease condition that is accountable for 5% of annual cause of death globally and it continues to escalate. In this research the levels of minerals in persons with type 2 diabetes were investigated using hair as the biopsy specimen. The philosophy behind is that minerals are involved in countless metabolic functions in all phases of the life process, an imbalance of which can have widespread implication, while hair due to its physiology serves an invaluable record of the body’s exposure to minerals. Hair metal testing is a fascinating new diagnostic tool and often gives unexpected clues to mineral imbalances in the body. In executing the research samples of head hair collected from 6 type 2 diabetic patients were washed to remove exogenous contaminants, then subjected to open vessel acid digestion and subsequent analysis for the elements Ca, Cd, Cr, Cu Fe, K, Mg, Na and Zn using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy (FLAAS). After comparing the concentration of the elements to a range that is considered to be normal it was found that Ca, Zn, Fe, Mg, K, Cu, Cd and Cr were off range while Na was normal. Upon investigating the function and effects of the elements that were off range it was found that a deficiency of chromium and an excess of iron could be a possible cause of diabetes.