Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

Andrew, Angeline S.; Chen, Celia Y.; Caller, Tracie A.; Tandan, Rup; Henegan, Patricia; Jackson, Brian P.; Hall, Brenda P.; Bradley, Walter G.; Stommel, Elijah W.

doi:10.1002/mus.26055

Cited by 27 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…Even if several recent studies analysed the use of nails as biomarkers of different minerals and nETE and to relate their concentration to some diseases risk such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, children obesity, hearing loss and acute promyelocytic leukaemia (Karatela et al, 2018;Chen et al, 2018;Li et al, 2018;Xu et al, 2018;Andrew et al, 2018;White et al, 2018). In the present study, no relation was found by between nETE fingernail, dietary exposure and thyroid cancer risk.…”

Section: Study Limitationscontrasting

confidence: 65%

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Zidane¹,

Ren²,

Xhaard³

et al. 2019

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev

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Background:In French Polynesia, thyroid cancer mortality and incidence is reported to be the highest in the world. Excessive levels of non-essential trace elements (nETE) in the body are associated with several types of cancer.Objective:The present study aims to provide quantitative information on food contamination by mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), arsenic (As) and cadmium (Cd) in French Polynesia and its potential correlation with measurements performed in fingernails of Polynesians, and then to investigate the potential association between these nETE and different thyroid cancer risks. Methods:The study population included 229 interviewed cases and 373 interviewed controls We performed a descriptive analysis of Polynesian food and examined the association between thyroid cancer risk and daily intake levels of nETE and with fingernail nETE levels.Results:Hg contamination was mainly present in sea products, Pb contamination was present in almost all samples, Cd was detectable in starchy food and As was detectable in all sea products. No patient exceeded dietary contamination WHO limits for Pb, 2 participants exceeded it for Hg and 3 individuals (0.5%) for cadmium. In fingernail clippings, the most detectable pollutant was Pb (553 participants), then Hg (543 participants) then Cd (only in 130 participants). Thyroid cancer risk was increased more than 4 times by Pb daily intake in patients with a history of cancer in first-degree relatives than in ones without (p for interaction =0.01), and 2 times more in women with more than 3 pregnancies than in those with none or less (p for interaction =0.005); it was also increased following As intake by more than 30% in patients with a history of cancer in first-degree relatives than in ones without (p for interaction =0.05). Conclusion:Locally produced foods are not a source of nETE exposure in French Polynesia. Dieatry nETE exposure and fingernail nETE concentration are not associated to differentiated thyroid cancer risk. No correlation found between nETE dietary exposure and fingernail nETE concentration.

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Section: Study Limitationscontrasting

confidence: 65%

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Zidane¹,

Ren²,

Xhaard³

et al. 2019

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev

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“…Only 10% of nail mercury represents mercury derived from inorganic sources, such as dental amalgam in non-occupationally exposed populations (19). In our prior clinic-based work in northern New England, we observed higher toenail Hg levels in 46 ALS patients, compared with n ¼ 66 controls who did not have neurodegenerative illness (p ¼ 0.024) (20). In the present analysis, we sought to validate this mercury finding in an independent U.S. cohort using a case-control comparison.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 65%

Keratinous biomarker of mercury exposure associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk in a nationwide U.S. study

Andrew

O’Brien

Jackson

et al. 2020

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration

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Objective: The majority of cases of the fatal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are of unknown etiology. A proportion of these cases are likely to be attributable to contaminant exposures, although the specific environmental etiology of ALS remains largely a mystery. Certain forms of the neurotoxic metal mercury readily cross into the central nervous system. Fish is a dietary source of methylmercury, but also of beneficial components, such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Prior work using clinic-based studies of toenails and hair as keratinous biomarkers of exposure suggest elevated mercury levels in ALS patients compared with controls. We sought to validate this relationship in a U.S. case-control comparison of mercury levels in nail clippings. Methods: We performed trace element analysis using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) on the nail clippings of n ¼ 70 female, geographically representative ALS patients from the National ALS Biorepository and compared them to n ¼ 210 age-matched controls from a set of n ¼ 1216 nationally distributed controls from the Sister and Two Sister Studies. Results: Compared to the lowest quartile of nail mercury, moderate levels were associated with decreased risk of ALS (P ¼ 4.18e-6). However, the odds of having nail mercury levels above the 90th percentile were 2.3-fold higher among ALS patients compared with controls (odds ratio (OR) ¼ 2.3, 95% confidence interval 1.10-4.58, adjusted for age and smoking status). Conclusion: This finding suggests that excessive mercury exposure may be associated with the neurodegenerative health of aging populations.

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“…One possible link between personality traits and ALS is that the premorbid personality differences seen in people with ALS could lead to behaviors that are reported to be risk factors for the disease (Figure ). Connections between personality traits and ALS risk factors could, for example, exist between extraversion‐linked smoking (Buczkowski et al, ), a reported risk factor for ALS (Armon, ); extraversion‐linked risk‐taking behavior (Levenson, ), which could lead to the increased numbers of head injuries reported in ALS (Schmidt, Kwee, Allen, & Oddone, ); conscientiousness‐linked physical exercise (Malinauskas, Dumciene, Mamkus, & Venckunas, ), another suggested risk factor for ALS (Beghi et al, ); conscientiousness‐linked low alcohol intake (Lunn, Nowson, Worsley, & Torres, ), which is associated with ALS (de Jong et al, ); conscientiousness‐linked adherence to dietary advice on increased fish intake (Lunn et al, ), which may be a risk factor for ALS due to mercury ingestion (Andrew et al, ); and either conscientiousness, openness, neuroticism, or agreeableness all of which can influence choice of occupation (Zhao & Seibert, ), since certain occupations have been associated with ALS (Sutedja et al, ). These potential links imply that some of the lifestyle habits and choices thought to be risk factors for ALS may not be risk factors per se, but rather the consequence of an underlying, substantially genetically determined, personality type.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Are people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) particularly nice? An international online case–control study of the Big Five personality factors

2018

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BackgroundMany people with ALS have been suggested to have a “nice” personality, but most ALS personality studies to date have had limited numbers of participants and have not taken into account personality differences between genders. We used Big Five Inventory data obtained from an online questionnaire looking for risk factors for ALS to investigate personality traits in large numbers of people with ALS and controls.MethodsA total of 741 questionnaire respondents aged 40 years and over indicated the extent to which they agreed with each of the 44 Big Five Inventory statements. Respondents were 339 with ALS (212 male, 127 female) who responded to the statements as they applied to them before their diagnosis and 402 controls (120 male, 282 female). Unpaired t tests with 95% confidence intervals were used to compare mean values of Big Five‐factor scores.ResultsFemale respondents taken together had higher mean scores for Agreeableness and Neuroticism than all male respondents. Male ALS respondents had higher mean scores than male controls for Conscientiousness and Extraversion. Female ALS respondents had higher mean scores than female controls for Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and Extraversion, and a lower score for Neuroticism.ConclusionsMany people with ALS have personality traits that are likely to underlie the perception they are particularly “nice.” This raises the possibility that genetic polymorphisms that influence personality could play a role in ALS. Furthermore, different personality traits could underlie lifestyle choices that are currently thought to be risk factors for ALS.

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Toenail mercury Levels are associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk

Abstract: Biomarker data show that ALS is associated with increased with mercury levels, which were related to estimated methylmercury intake via fish. Replication of these associations in additional populations is warranted. Muscle Nerve, 2018.

Cited by 27 publications

References 36 publications

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Non-Essential Trace Elements Dietary Exposure in French Polynesia: Intake Assessment, Nail Bio Monitoring and Thyroid Cancer Risk

Keratinous biomarker of mercury exposure associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk in a nationwide U.S. study

Are people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) particularly nice? An international online case–control study of the Big Five personality factors

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