Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Nov;24(11):1175-82. doi: 10.1007/s11606-009-1050-5. Epub 2009 Jul 3.
Some herbal supplements may contain lead.
To examine whether use of specific herbal dietary supplements during the last 30 days is associated with blood lead levels in US men and women.
Cross-sectional analysis.
NHANES participants from 1999-2004, a representative sample of the civilian non-institutionalized US population.
Lead was measured in blood. Associations between lead and self-reported supplement use were estimated using multivariable regression weighted to account for NHANES sampling. Herbal supplements investigated were those previously reported to contain high heavy metal content: Ayurvedic or traditional Chinese medicine herbs, echinacea, ginkgo, ginseng, St. John's wort, and "other" herbs (specifically, kava, valerian, black cohosh, bee pollen, and nettle).
Among 6,712 women > or =20 years, those using herbal supplements had lead levels that were 10% higher than non-users (95% CI 3%-17%, p = 0.005). Women using Ayurvedic or traditional Chinese medicine herbs, St. John's wort, and "other" herbs had lead levels 24% (95% CI 5%-45%, p = 0.01), 23% (95% CI 4%-46%), p = 0.02), and 21% (95% CI 2%-44%, p = 0.03) higher, respectively, than non-users. No significant associations were observed between herb use and lead levels among men (n = 6,095). Among reproductive-aged women (16-45 years), herbal supplement users had lead levels 20% higher than non-users (95% CI 5%-34%, p = 0.008). In contrast, garlic and other dietary supplements were not associated with higher lead levels.
Use of specific herbal supplements is associated with higher blood lead levels among women. Our data suggest testing guidelines for herbal supplements and regulations limiting lead in supplements are needed.
一些草药补充剂可能含有铅。
检测美国男性和女性在过去 30 天内使用特定草药膳食补充剂是否与血铅水平有关。
横断面分析。
1999-2004 年 NHANES 参与者，美国非住院平民的代表性样本。
血铅含量。使用多变量回归估计血铅与自我报告的补充剂使用之间的关系，并进行加权以考虑 NHANES 抽样。调查的草药补充剂是那些先前报告含有高重金属含量的补充剂：阿育吠陀或中药草药、紫锥菊、银杏、人参、贯叶金丝桃和“其他”草药（具体为卡瓦、缬草、黑升麻、蜂花粉和荨麻）。
在 6712 名年龄≥20 岁的女性中，使用草药补充剂的女性血铅水平比非使用者高 10%（95%CI 3%-17%，p=0.005）。使用阿育吠陀或中药草药、贯叶金丝桃和“其他”草药的女性血铅水平分别高出 24%（95%CI 5%-45%，p=0.01）、23%（95%CI 4%-46%，p=0.02）和 21%（95%CI 2%-44%，p=0.03）。在男性（n=6095）中，未观察到草药使用与血铅水平之间存在显著关联。在育龄女性（16-45 岁）中，草药补充剂使用者的血铅水平比非使用者高 20%（95%CI 5%-34%，p=0.008）。相比之下，大蒜和其他膳食补充剂与更高的血铅水平无关。
使用特定的草药补充剂与女性的血铅水平升高有关。我们的数据表明，需要制定草药补充剂检测指南和限制补充剂中铅含量的法规。
