Masanova Vlasta, Uhnakova Iveta, Wimmerova Sona, Trnovec Tomas, Sovcikova Eva, Patayova Henrieta, Murinova Lubica Palkovicova
Faculty of Medicine, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, 833 03, Slovakia.
Faculty of Public Health, Slovak Medical University, Bratislava, 833 03, Slovakia.
Biol Trace Elem Res. 2024 Dec 19. doi: 10.1007/s12011-024-04484-y.
Anthropometry provides a non-invasive technique for evaluating growth and obesity and serves as an indicator of health status. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the association of internal arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and lead (Pb) exposure with anthropometric parameters, including obesity, in adolescents. Participants (N = 320) were children aged 10-14 years (mean 11.8 years) from eastern Slovakia, at an early stage of adolescence characterized by growth acceleration. Metal concentrations in blood and urine were measured by ICP-MS (for As, Cd, and Pb), GC/ICP-MS (for MeHg) and amalgamation technique AAS (for THg). Median concentrations of the studied elements in whole blood (Cd: 0.16, Pb: 10.6, THg: 0.25, MeHg: 0.11 µg/L) and urine (Cd: 0.25, Pb: 0.73, As: 3.38 µg/g creatinine) were relatively low in our study group. The results showed that blood Cd and Pb concentrations were inversely associated with several anthropometric parameters (body weight, BMI, body fat percentage, chest circumference, and waist circumference) in both boys and girls. Conversely, blood THg concentration was positively associated with these parameters in boys. A positive relationship was also observed between blood MeHg concentration and height in boys, while negative associations between blood Cd and Pb concentrations and height were significant only in girls. No associations were found between metal concentrations (As, Cd, Pb) in urine and parameters of physical growth or obesity. This study demonstrates that even low-level exposure to Cd, Pb, and Hg can influence growth and obesity indicators in adolescents, with distinct sex-specific patterns, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring and protection against environmental metal exposure.
人体测量学提供了一种评估生长和肥胖的非侵入性技术，并作为健康状况的一个指标。这项横断面研究旨在调查青少年体内砷（As）、镉（Cd）、总汞（THg）、甲基汞（MeHg）和铅（Pb）暴露与人体测量参数（包括肥胖）之间的关联。参与者（N = 320）是来自斯洛伐克东部的10至14岁儿童（平均11.8岁），处于以生长加速为特征的青春期早期。通过电感耦合等离子体质谱法（用于As、Cd和Pb）、气相色谱/电感耦合等离子体质谱法（用于MeHg）和汞齐化技术原子吸收光谱法（用于THg）测量血液和尿液中的金属浓度。在我们的研究组中，全血（Cd：0.16，Pb：10.6，THg：0.25，MeHg：0.11μg/L）和尿液（Cd：0.25，Pb：0.73，As：3.38μg/g肌酐）中所研究元素的中位数浓度相对较低。结果表明，血液中Cd和Pb浓度与男孩和女孩的几个身体测量参数（体重、BMI、体脂百分比、胸围和腰围）呈负相关。相反，血液中THg浓度与男孩的这些参数呈正相关。在男孩中还观察到血液中MeHg浓度与身高呈正相关，而血液中Cd和Pb浓度与身高之间的负相关仅在女孩中显著。未发现尿液中金属浓度（As、Cd、Pb）与身体生长或肥胖参数之间存在关联。这项研究表明，即使是低水平的Cd、Pb和Hg暴露也会影响青少年的生长和肥胖指标，且具有明显的性别特异性模式，突出了持续监测和防范环境金属暴露的必要性。
