Diabetes Metab J.  2017 Apr;41(2):113-120. 10.4093/dmj.2017.41.2.113.

Association between Blood Mercury Level and Visceral Adiposity in Adults

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
  • 2Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease Etiology Research Center, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea. djkim@ajou.ac.kr
  • 3Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
  • 4Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University Bloomington School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, USA.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Few studies have examined the association between mercury exposure and obesity. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between blood mercury concentrations and indices of obesity in adults.
METHODS
A total of 200 healthy subjects, aged 30 to 64 years, who had no history of cardiovascular or malignant disease, were examined. Anthropometric and various biochemical profiles were measured. Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).
RESULTS
All subjects were divided into three groups according to blood mercury concentrations. Compared with the subjects in the lowest tertile of mercury, those in the highest tertile were more likely to be male; were current alcohol drinkers and smokers; had a higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and VAT; had higher levels of blood pressure, fasting glucose, and insulin resistance; and consumed more fish. The blood mercury concentration was significantly associated with anthropometric parameters, showing relationships with BMI, WC, and VAT. After adjusting for multiple risk factors, the odds ratios (ORs) for high mercury concentration was significantly higher in the highest VAT tertile than in the lowest VAT tertile (OR, 2.66; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 6.62; P<0.05).
CONCLUSION
The blood mercury concentration was significantly associated with VAT in healthy adults. Further studies are warranted to confirm our findings.

Keyword

Body mass index; Intra-abdominal fat; Mercury; Obesity; Waist circumference

MeSH Terms

Absorptiometry, Photon
Adiposity*
Adult*
Blood Pressure
Body Mass Index
Fasting
Glucose
Healthy Volunteers
Humans
Insulin Resistance
Intra-Abdominal Fat
Male
Obesity
Odds Ratio
Risk Factors
Waist Circumference
Glucose

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Blood mercury concentrations according to anthropometric parameters. BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; VAT, visceral adipose tissue; TFM, total fat mass. aP<0.05 vs. the lowest group.


Cited by  1 articles

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Jee-Seon Shim, Bo Mi Song, Jung Hyun Lee, Seung Won Lee, Ji Hye Park, Dong Phil Choi, Myung Ha Lee, Kyoung Hwa Ha, Dae Jung Kim, Sungha Park, Won-Woo Lee, Yoosik Youm, Eui-Cheol Shin, Hyeon Chang Kim
Yonsei Med J. 2019;60(8):804-810.    doi: 10.3349/ymj.2019.60.8.804.


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