Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Canada.
Environ Int. 2017 May;102:200-206. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2017.03.002. Epub 2017 Mar 7.
Selenium (Se) has been reported to protect against the neurotoxicity of mercury (Hg). However, the effect of Se against Hg on cardiovascular diseases remains unclear. Inuit living in the Arctic have high exposure to both Se and Hg through their marine mammal and fish rich traditional diet.
To characterize the co-exposure of Hg and Se among Inuit in Canada and to assess the associations between Hg, Se and cardiovascular health outcomes, including stroke, hypertension, and myocardial infarction (MI).
Data was collected from the International Polar Year Inuit Health Survey (IHS) conducted in 2007 and 2008. Blood Se and Hg were measured, and self-report cardiovascular health outcomes were collected through a questionnaire interview from 2169 adults aged 18 and above.
The mean age was 42.4years, and 38.7% of the participants were male. The geometric means (GM) of blood Se and total Hg were 319.5μg/L and 7.0μg/L, respectively. The crude prevalence of heart attack, stroke and hypertension were 3.55%, 2.36%, and 24.47% respectively. Participants were categorized into 4 exposure groups according to blood Hg (high: ≥7.8μg/L; low: <7.8μg/L), and Se (high: ≥280μg/L; low: <280μg/L). The odds ratio (OR) of cardiovascular outcomes were estimated using general linearized models. Results showed the low Se and high Hg group had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (OR=1.76 for hypertension, 1.57 for stroke, and 1.26 for MI. However, the prevalence was decreased in both the high Se and low Hg group (OR=0.57 for hypertension, 0.44 for stroke, and 0.27 for MI) and the high Se and high Hg group (OR=1.14 for hypertension, 0.31 for stroke, and 0.80 for MI).
The high Se and low Hg group had the lowest prevalence of cardiovascular outcomes, except for stroke. These results provide evidence that Se may exhibit a protective effect against Hg on cardiovascular disease.
已有研究表明，硒（Se）可抵御汞（Hg）的神经毒性。然而，硒对 Hg 引起的心血管疾病的影响尚不清楚。因食用富含海洋哺乳动物和鱼类的传统饮食，北极地区的因纽特人会同时受到 Se 和 Hg 的高暴露。
描述加拿大因纽特人体内 Hg 和 Se 的共同暴露情况，并评估 Hg、Se 与心血管健康结局（包括中风、高血压和心肌梗死）之间的关联。
数据来自于 2007 年至 2008 年开展的国际极地年因纽特人健康调查（IHS）。通过问卷调查收集了 2169 名年龄在 18 岁及以上成年人的心血管健康结局自我报告数据，并检测了其血液 Se 和 Hg 水平。
参与者的平均年龄为 42.4 岁，38.7%为男性。血液 Se 和总 Hg 的几何均数（GM）分别为 319.5μg/L 和 7.0μg/L。心脏病发作、中风和高血压的粗患病率分别为 3.55%、2.36%和 24.47%。根据血液 Hg（高：≥7.8μg/L；低：<7.8μg/L）和 Se（高：≥280μg/L；低：<280μg/L）水平，将参与者分为 4 个暴露组。使用广义线性模型估计心血管结局的比值比（OR）。结果显示，低 Se 高 Hg 组心血管疾病的患病率较高（高血压的 OR=1.76，中风的 OR=1.57，心肌梗死的 OR=1.26），而高 Se 低 Hg 组（高血压的 OR=0.57，中风的 OR=0.44，心肌梗死的 OR=0.27）和高 Se 高 Hg 组（高血压的 OR=1.14，中风的 OR=0.31，心肌梗死的 OR=0.80）的患病率均有所下降。
除中风外，高 Se 低 Hg 组的心血管结局患病率最低。这些结果为硒可能对心血管疾病具有抗汞作用提供了证据。
