Yonsei Med J.  2015 Jul;56(4):944-950. 10.3349/ymj.2015.56.4.944.

Blood Mercury and Insulin Resistance in Nondiabetic Koreans (KNHANES 2008-2010)

• Kim KN
• Park SJ
• Choi B
• Joo NS

• KMID: 2366333
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2015.56.4.944

Abstract

PURPOSE
Blood mercury levels are associated with inflammation, and chronic low-grade inflammation is a cause of insulin resistance. This study aimed to investigate the association between serum mercury and insulin resistance.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Subjects from the 2008-2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were selected (n=29235) and the relevant data of 5388 subjects (2643 males and 2745 females) were analyzed cross-sectionally. Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was compared according to blood mercury quartiles, and the odds ratio (OR) of having the highest quartile of HOMA-IR according to blood mercury quartiles was calculated.
RESULTS
Blood mercury levels in men and women were 29.4 nmol/L and 20.5 nmol/L, respectively, and fasting blood sugar (FBS), insulin, and HOMA-IR were significantly correlated with blood mercury levels. The correlation was stronger in men than in women. In men, FBS and HOMA-IR showed step-wise increases as the quartiles of blood mercury increased; only HOMA-IR differed significantly in the third and fourth blood mercury quartiles, compared to the first quartile. In women, however, both FBS and HOMA-IR differed significantly in the third and fourth blood mercury quartiles, compared to the first quartile. Among men, the OR of being in the highest HOMA-IR quartile was greatest for the highest blood mercury quartile (OR=1.720, 95% CI; 1.172-2.526), compared with the lowest quartile.
CONCLUSION
In this large population-based study, blood mercury levels were weakly correlated with HOMA-IR and may be a risk factor for insulin resistance in nondiabetic Koreans.

Keyword

Mercury; insulin resistance; environment; inflammation; Korean

MeSH Terms

Adult
Asian Continental Ancestry Group/statistics & numerical data
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Insulin/blood
Insulin Resistance/*ethnology
Male
Mercury/*blood
Middle Aged
Nutrition Surveys
Odds Ratio
Republic of Korea
Risk Factors
Insulin
Mercury

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Flow chart of study subjects. KNHANES, Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; DM, type 2 diabetes; YO, years old.

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