Nutrition, sex, gestational age, and hair growth in babies.

Abstract

SUMMARY Hair growth measurements are a sensitive indicator of nutrition and we have assessed their value in the perinatal period. The proportion of growing roots and their diameter were studied at birth in 114 babies and repeated 3 weeks later in 29 low birthweight babies. Intrauterine malnutrition resulted in thinner roots but the changes after birth were not related to nutrition and these measurements will not be useful in feeding studies in this period. At birth, gestational age and sex affected the hair root, and it may be important to recognise these differences if the hair root is used in biochemical screening tests. We have used a new simple technique for measuring the root diameter using an image-splitting eye-piece.Hair, one of the fastest growing tissues, is rapidly affected by nutritional and endocrine changes (Platt, 1965) and recently quantitative measurements of hair root morphology have been used to study nutrition in children and adults (Bradfield et al., 1968;Bradfield, 1971

Interpretation of glucocorticoids in neonatal hair: a reflection of intrauterine glucocorticoid regulation?

“…This suggests that GC levels at the OPV represent a combination of intra- and extrauterine influences, supported by our finding that GC levels at the OPV are still associated with several perinatal factors. However, due to the biochemical and individual variations in hair growth ( 26 , 27 , 28 ), and since hair was only measured twice in this study, the contribution of intrauterine and extrauterine influences on hair GC levels at the OPV is unknown. We recommend to assess at which point of time intrauterine factors are no longer related to hair GC levels, since this might provide a clear view of early life influences on HPA axis development.…”

“…Next, between week 24 and 28, the anagen hair converts into telogen hair via a catagen phase ( 26 ). Hair growth, as well as the conversion to more mature hair, is region-specific and dependent on several biochemical and individual variations ( 26 , 27 , 28 ). Whether hair in the anagen phase already contains GCs, or whether the accumulation of GCs occurs at a later phase, is unknown.…”

DIETARY PROTEIN FOR LOW BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES Sources and Assessment of Requirements

“…Morphology and measurement of the hair root has been useful in some studies of nutritional status (14) and we had hoped this would be a useful tool in assessing neonatal nutrition. However, the effects of poor growth in utero on hair morphology vary according to the sex of the child and after birth the hair root rapidly enters a resting phase, probably as a result of hormonal changes, so that its growth cannot reflect the current nutritional experience of the child (15)…”