Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines and Risk of Kidney Stones: A Cross-Sectional Study in US Adults

Abstract

BackgroundHeterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are a group of harmful substances produced while cooking meat at high temperatures. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between HAAs and the occurrence of kidney stones.MethodsData on the level of four HAAs, including 2-Amino-9H-pyrido [2, 3-b] indole (A-α-C), 1-Methyl-9H-pyrido [3, 4-b] indole (Harman), 9H-Pyrido [3, 4-b] indole (Norharman), and 2-Amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4, 5-b] pyridine (PhIP), in the urine from adult participants were extracted from the 2013–2014 NHANES database. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to balance confounding variables between the stone former and non-stone former groups, and logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between HAAs and the occurrence of kidney stones.ResultsOf the 1,558 eligible participants, a history of kidney stones was self-reported by 140 (9.0%). Compared to non-stone formers, stone formers had higher concentrations of A-α-C, Harman, and Norharman and lower concentrations of PhlP in urine. After adjusting for all other confounding variables, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the high-Harman group had a higher risk of kidney stones than the low-Harman group [adjusted odds ratios (aOR) = 1.618, 95% CI: 1.076–2.433, p = 0.021]. After PSM analysis, Harman concentration remained a risk factor for kidney stones (high-Harman group vs. low-Harman group: aOR = 1.951, 95% CI: 1.059–3.596, p = 0.032).ConclusionIncreased urinary Harman concentrations are associated with an increased risk of kidney stones in the general US population.

Study from the United States: increased prevalence of kidney stones in patients with high weight-adjusted waist index

“…All analyses were performed using Empower software (X&Y Solutions, Inc., Boston, MA, USA) 1 and R version 4.0.2 (The R Foundation). 2 3 Results…”

“…Kidney stones are a common urinary disease, accounting for 40–50% of all urinary stone diseases, caused by the abnormal accumulation of crystalline substances in the kidney ( 1 ). The prevalence of kidney stones in developed countries is 5∼15%, the prevalence of kidney stones in China is gradually increasing, the prevalence of adults is 6.4%, and the age of onset is also younger ( 2 ). In addition, kidney stones are prone to recurrence after treatment, and about one-third of patients with a first attack will have stone recurrence ( 3 ), and a higher risk in patients with stone recurrence ( 4 ), putting a heavy burden on the health system ( 5 ).…”

“…The pathogenesis of kidney stones is more complex, and there are many triggering factors, such as dietary, metabolic, pharmacological, and environmental factors ( 2 ). With the change in dietary structure and daily lifestyle, obesity has gradually become a major problem for human health.…”

Association Between Urinary Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines and Mortality in Adults

“…HAA have been con rmed to be closely related to the occurrence and development of head and neck tumors (Li et (Daniel et al 2011). In addition to cancer, studies have also con rmed that exposure to HAA can lead to increased kidney stones and nervous system damage(Lawana et al 2020, Syeda &Cannon 2022, Zhang et al 2022). Combined with this evidence, we speculate that HAA exposure may have adverse effects on long-term health.…”