Hu Wenping, LeBlanc Tanya Telfair, Ruckart Perri Zeitz, Brooks-Griffin Quanza Shavonne, Allwood Paul
National Center for Environmental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Dec 17;21(12):1676. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21121676.
The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of low blood lead levels (BLLs) on the red blood cell folate concentrations in U.S. children aged 2-17 years. All data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) over six consecutive cycles from 2007-2008 to 2017-2018. A total of 12,739 children with BLLs lower than 10 µg/dL (geometric mean: 0.66 µg/dL) were included in the dataset. BLLs were categorized into three tertiles (tertile 1: <0.55 µg/dL; tertile 2: 0.55-0.95 µg/dL; and tertile 3: ≥0.95 µg/dL). The multivariate linear regression model analysis indicates a negative relationship between BLLs and red blood cell folate concentrations. After adjusting for potential confounding factors, red blood cell folate concentrations were lower in children in the BLL tertile 2 (β-coefficient = -0.0450; 95% CI: -0.0676, -0.0224) and BLL tertile 3 groups (β-coefficient = -0.0775; 95% CI: -0.1032, -0.0517) compared to children in the BLL tertile 1 group. When stratified by age, gender, and race/Hispanic origin, the subgroup analysis consistently revealed a negative relationship between BLLs and red blood cell folate concentrations, with red blood cell folate concentrations being lower ( < 0.05) in children in the BLL tertile 3 group compared to children in the tertile 1 group. Further investigation is needed to explore the mechanism underlying the potential relationship between BLLs and red blood cell folate concentrations and determine whether folate plays an active role beneficial for preventing the harmful effects of lead on children.
本研究的目的是评估低血铅水平（BLLs）对美国2至17岁儿童红细胞叶酸浓度的影响。所有数据均来自2007 - 2008年至2017 - 2018年连续六个周期的国家健康和营养检查调查（NHANES）。数据集中纳入了总共12,739名血铅水平低于10 µg/dL（几何平均值：0.66 µg/dL）的儿童。血铅水平被分为三个三分位数（三分位数1：<0.55 µg/dL；三分位数2：0.55 - 0.95 µg/dL；三分位数3：≥0.95 µg/dL）。多元线性回归模型分析表明血铅水平与红细胞叶酸浓度之间存在负相关关系。在调整潜在混杂因素后，与血铅水平三分位数1组的儿童相比，血铅水平三分位数2组（β系数 = -0.0450；95%置信区间：-0.0676，-0.0224）和血铅水平三分位数3组（β系数 = -0.0775；95%置信区间：-0.1032，-0.0517）的儿童红细胞叶酸浓度较低。按年龄、性别和种族/西班牙裔血统分层时，亚组分析一致显示血铅水平与红细胞叶酸浓度之间存在负相关关系，与三分位数1组的儿童相比，血铅水平三分位数3组的儿童红细胞叶酸浓度较低（<0.05）。需要进一步研究以探索血铅水平与红细胞叶酸浓度之间潜在关系的机制，并确定叶酸是否在预防铅对儿童的有害影响方面发挥积极有益作用。
