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Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011-2012.

ABSTRACT: Fish/seafood consumption is a source of mercury; other dietary sources are not well described. This cross-sectional study used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 data. Participants self-reported consuming fish/seafood (N = 5427) or not (N = 1770) within the past 30 days. Whole blood total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and urinary mercury (UHg) were determined. Diet was assessed using 24 h recall. Adjusted regression models predicted mercury biomarker concentrations with recent food consumption, while controlling for age, sex, education, and race/ethnicity. Geometric mean THg was 0.89 µg/L (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78, 1.02) (seafood consumers) and 0.31 µg/L (95% CI: 0.28, 0.34) (non-seafood consumers); MeHg and UHg concentrations follow similar patterns. In adjusted regressions among seafood consumers, significant associations were observed between mercury biomarkers with multiple foods, including fish/seafood, wine, rice, vegetables/vegetable oil, liquor, and beans/nuts/soy. Among non-seafood consumers, higher THg was significantly associated with mixed rice dishes, vegetables/vegetable oil, liquor, and approached statistical significance with wine (p < 0.10); higher MeHg was significantly associated with wine and higher UHg was significantly associated with mixed rice dishes. Fish/seafood consumption is the strongest dietary predictor of mercury biomarker concentrations; however, consumption of wine, rice, vegetables/vegetable oil, or liquor may also contribute, especially among non-seafood consumers.

SUBMITTER: Wells EM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7183423 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011-2012.

Wells Ellen M EM Kopylev Leonid L Nachman Rebecca R Radke Elizabeth G EG Segal Deborah D

Journal of exposure science & environmental epidemiology 20200203 3

Fish/seafood consumption is a source of mercury; other dietary sources are not well described. This cross-sectional study used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 data. Participants self-reported consuming fish/seafood (N = 5427) or not (N = 1770) within the past 30 days. Whole blood total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and urinary mercury (UHg) were determined. Diet was assessed using 24 h recall. Adjusted regression models predicted mercury biomarker conce ...[more]

PMID: 32015433

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Project description:BackgroundDespite the public health and toxicologic interest in methyl mercury (MeHg) and ethyl mercury (EHg), these mercury species have been technically difficult to measure in large population studies.MethodsUsing NHANES 2011-2012 data, we calculated reference ranges and examined demographic factors associated with specific mercury species concentrations and the ratio of MeHg to THg. We conducted several multiple regression analyses to examine factors associated with MeHg concentrations and also with the ratio of MeHg to THg.ResultsAsians had the highest geometric mean concentrations for MeHg, 1.58 µg/L (95% CI 1.29, 1.93) and THg, 1.86 µg/L (1.58, 2.19), followed by non-Hispanic blacks with MeHg, 0.52 µg/L (0.39, 0.68) and THg, 0.68 µg/L (0.54, 0.85). Greater education attainment in adults and male sex were associated with higher MeHg and THg concentrations. Race/ethnicity, age, and sex were significant predictors of MeHg concentrations, which increased with age and were highest in Asians in all age categories, followed by non-Hispanic blacks. Mexican Americans had the lowest adjusted MeHg concentrations. The ratio of MeHg to THg was highest in Asians, varied by racial/ethnic group, and increased with age in a non-linear fashion. The amount of increase in the MeHg to THg ratio with age depended on the initial ratio, with a greater increase as age increased. Of the overall population, 3.05% (95% CI 1.77, 4.87) had MeHg concentrations >5.8 µg/L (a value that corresponds to the U.S. EPA reference dose). The prevalence was highest in Asians at 15.85% (95% CI 11.85, 20.56), increased with age, reaching a maximum of 9.26% (3.03, 20.42) at ages 60-69 years. Females 16-44 years old had a 1.76% (0.82-3.28) prevalence of MeHg concentrations >5.8 µg/L.ConclusionsAsians, males, older individuals, and adults with greater educational attainment had higher MeHg concentrations. The ratio of MeHg to THg varied with racial/ethnic group, increased with age, and was nonlinear. U.S. population reference values for MeHg and the ratio of MeHg to THg can assist in more precise assessment of public health risk from MeHg consumed in seafood.

Project description:BackgroundWe have recently shown that biomarker levels of selected metals are higher in Asians than in other U.S. ethnic groups, with important differences within selected Asian subgroups. Much of this difference may be dietary in origin; however, this is not well established.ObjectiveWe evaluated dietary intake of toxic metals as a source of increased biomarker levels of metals among U.S. Asians.MethodsWe estimated daily food consumption and dietary intake of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury by combining 24-hr dietary intake recall data from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) with data from the USDA Food Composition Intake Database and FDA Total Dietary Study. We analyzed associations between dietary metal intake and biomarker levels of the metals using linear regression. Further, estimated food consumption and metal intake levels were compared between Asians and other racial/ethnic groups (white, black, Mexican American, and other Hispanic) and within three Asian subgroups (Chinese, Indian Asian, and other Asians).ResultsSignificant associations (p < 0.05) were found between biomarker levels and estimated dietary metal intake for total and inorganic arsenic and mercury among Asians. Asians had the highest daily fish and rice consumption across the racial/ethnic groups. Fish was the major contributor to dietary mercury and total arsenic intake, whereas rice was the major contributor to inorganic arsenic dietary intake. Fish consumption across the Asian subgroups varied, with Asian Indians having lower fish consumption than the other Asian subgroups. Rice consumption was similar across the Asian subgroups.ConclusionsWe confirmed that estimated dietary intake of arsenic (total and inorganic) and mercury is significantly associated with their corresponding biomarkers in U.S. Asians, using nationally representative data. In contrast, estimated dietary intake of cadmium and lead were not significantly associated with their corresponding biomarker levels in U.S. Asians. Citation: Awata H, Linder S, Mitchell LE, Delclos GL. 2017. Association of dietary intake and biomarker levels of arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury among Asian populations in the United States: NHANES 2011-2012. Environ Health Perspect 125:314-323; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP28.

Project description:BackgroundSerum lactate dehydrogenase levels reflect disease status in a variety of organs, but its role in indicating pulmonary function is not yet clear. Therefore, this study explored the correlation between pulmonary function and serum lactate dehydrogenase, and investigated thresholds for changes in pulmonary function indicators in the total population as well as in different strata of the population.MethodsBased on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 (n = 3453), univariate and stratified analyses were performed to investigate factors associated with pulmonary function, and multiple regression analysis was used to further investigate the specific relationship with serum lactate dehydrogenase. Smoothed curve fitting, threshold effect and saturation effect analysis were used to explore the threshold level of serum lactate dehydrogenase at the onset of changes in pulmonary function indicators.ResultsAdjusted smoothed curve fit plots showed a linear relationship between serum lactate dehydrogenase levels and forced vital capacity and forced expiratory volume in one second: for each 1 U/L increase in serum lactate dehydrogenase levels, forced vital capacity decreased by 1.24 mL (95% CI = -2.05, -0.42, P = 0.0030) and forced expiratory volume in one second by 1.11 mL (95% CI = -1.82, -0.39, P = 0.0025).ConclusionsSerum lactate dehydrogenase was negatively and linearly correlated with pulmonary function indices in the total population analyzed. Based on the total population and different population stratifications, this study determined the threshold values of serum lactate dehydrogenase at the onset of decline of pulmonary function in different populations. This provides a new serological monitoring indicator for patients suffering from respiratory diseases and has implications for patients with possible clinical impairment of pulmonary function. However, our cross-sectional study was not able to determine a causal relationship between these two factors, and further research is needed.

Project description:IntroductionThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently found that Asians have considerably higher biomarker levels of cadmium, lead, mercury, and arsenic than whites, blacks, Mexican Americans, and other Hispanics in the United States.ObjectiveOur goal was to further evaluate the higher metal biomarker levels among Asians.MethodsBiomarker data (blood cadmium, blood lead, blood mercury, urinary total arsenic, and urinary dimethylarsinic acic) from individuals ≥ 6 years of age were obtained from the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). We compared geometric mean levels of these five metal biomarkers in Asians with those of four other NHANES race/ethnic groups (white, black, Mexican American, and other Hispanic), and across three Asian subgroups (Chinese, Asian Indian, and other Asian). We also evaluated associations between biomarker levels and sociodemographic, physical, dietary, and behavioral covariates across the Asian subgroups.ResultsAsians had significantly higher levels of all five metal biomarkers than other race/ethnic groups (p < 0.05), regardless of sociodemographic, physical, dietary, behavioral, or geographic characteristics. We also found variations in biomarker levels across the Asian subgroups. In general, Asian Indians had lower levels than the other two Asian subgroups, except for blood lead. The following characteristics were found to be significant predictors of several biomarker levels: sex, age, education, birthplace, smoking, and fish consumption.ConclusionsOverall, the Asian group had the highest geometric mean biomarker levels for all of the five metal variables. Furthermore, we provided evidence that significant variations in the biomarker levels are present across the Asian subgroups in the United States. Citation: Awata H, Linder S, Mitchell LE, Delclos GL. 2017. Biomarker levels of toxic metals among Asian populations in the United States: NHANES 2011-2012. Environ Health Perspect 125:306-313; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP27.

Dataset Information

Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011-2012.

Publications

Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011-2012.

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