Department of Neuropsychiatry, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, 5 Zaifucho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8562, Japan.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2013 Nov 12;10(11):6044-8. doi: 10.3390/ijerph10116044.
Lithium has been used as a mood-stabilizing drug in people with mood disorders. Previous studies have shown that natural levels of lithium in drinking water may protect against suicide. This study evaluated the association between lithium levels in tap water and the suicide standardized mortality ratio (SMR) in 40 municipalities of Aomori prefecture, which has the highest levels of suicide mortality rate in Japan. Lithium levels in the tap water supplies of each municipality were measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry. After adjusting for confounders, a statistical trend toward significance was found for the relationship between lithium levels and the average SMR among females. These findings indicate that natural levels of lithium in drinking water might have a protective effect on the risk of suicide among females. Future research is warranted to confirm this association.
锂已被用于治疗情绪障碍患者的情绪稳定剂。先前的研究表明，饮用水中的天然锂水平可能有助于预防自杀。本研究评估了日本自杀死亡率最高的青森县 40 个市自来水中的锂水平与自杀标准化死亡率（SMR）之间的关系。使用电感耦合等离子体质谱法测量每个市自来水中的锂水平。在调整混杂因素后，发现锂水平与女性平均 SMR 之间存在统计学趋势。这些发现表明，饮用水中的天然锂水平可能对女性自杀风险具有保护作用。需要进一步的研究来证实这种关联。
