Association between Dyslipidemia and Mercury Exposure in Adults

Abstract

Background—Dyslipidemia is one of the prominent risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide. Dyslipidemia has various causes, including metabolic capacity, genetic problems, physical inactivity, and dietary habits. This study aimed to determine the association between dyslipidemia and exposure to heavy metals in adults. Methods—Using data from the seventh Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2016–2017), 5345 participants aged ≥20 years who were tested for heavy metal levels were analyzed in this study. Multiple logistic regression was conducted to assess the factors affecting the prevalence of dyslipidemia. Results—The risks of dyslipidemia among all and male participants with mercury (Hg) levels of ≥2.75 μg/L (corresponding to the Korean average level) were 1.273 and 1.699 times higher than in those with levels of <2.75 μg/L, respectively. The factors that significantly affected the dyslipidemia risk were age, household income, body mass index, and subjective health status in both males and females. Conclusions—In adult males, exposure to Hg at higher-than-average levels was positively associated with dyslipidemia. These results provide a basis for targeted prevention strategies for dyslipidemia using lifestyle guidelines for reducing Hg exposure and healthy behavioral interventions.

Joint effect of whole blood metals exposure with dyslipidemia in representative US adults in NHANES 2011–2020

“…thus remain a formidable task that calls for effective countermeasures and intense efforts. Over the past few decades, evidence has reported that the risk of dyslipidemia may be increased by environmental toxicants, including Pb, Hg, and Se(Hx, Yu, Bx, & Yh, 2020; Joachim et al, 2008;Kang et al, 2021b). In our study, a similar nding was observed that four single metals, PB, Total Hg, Mn and Se, were signi cantly associated with an increased risk of dyslipidemia.…”

“…Metals, which ll the environment and are di cult to degrade, can be easily absorbed by people through dermal contact, assimilation of food chain or respiratory tract from water, air, and soil, accumulating in the human body over time (Fu & Xi, 2020). In daily life, people are often exposed to metals coming from industrial waste gases, wastewater, contaminated soil, drinking water, or food (Kang, Shin, & Kim, 2021b). For example, consuming raw meat and smoking(whether active or passive smoking) are two common examples of taking in metals into the human body, which, put more directly, is metal pollution, a very serious prevalent environmental threat.…”

Association between combined exposure to plasma heavy metals and dyslipidemia in a chinese population

“…The effect of combined metal exposure on dyslipidemia was not observed in a cross-sectional study from the United States [ 54 ]. However, a study of dyslipidemia in adults found significant between-group differences in multiple heavy metal exposures in females [ 8 ]. There are very few studies on the overall effect of metal mixtures on dyslipidemia.…”

“…The heavy metals chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), strontium (Sr), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) may be associated with dyslipidemia occurrence [ 3 , 7 ]. People are often exposed to heavy metals in their daily lives through exposure to industrial waste gases, wastewater, contaminated soil, drinking water, or food [ 8 ]. Pollution is caused by metal mines, smelting, and others.…”

Toxicity of Heavy Metals and Recent Advances in Their Removal: A Review

“…A positive correlation has been reported between exposure to Hg and blood pressure measures during childhood [ 27 ]. There is also a positive association between high levels of Hg and dyslipidemia in adults [ 28 ]. Several studies on the effect of Hg on liver function found that liver enzymes increased significantly with Hg exposure [ 29 ].…”