Ogundipe Esther, Obeng-Gyasi Emmanuel
Department of Built Environment, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
Environmental Health and Disease Laboratory, North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA.
J Xenobiot. 2025 Jan 7;15(1):7. doi: 10.3390/jox15010007.
Chronic stress, characterized by sustained activation of physiological stress response systems, is a key risk factor for numerous health conditions. Allostatic load (AL), a biomarker of cumulative physiological stress, offers a quantitative measure of this burden. Lifestyle habits such as alcohol consumption and smoking, alongside environmental exposures to toxic metals like lead, cadmium, and mercury, were individually implicated in increasing AL. However, the combined impact of these lifestyle habits and environmental factors remains underexplored, particularly in populations facing co-occurring exposures. This study aims to investigate the joint effects of lifestyle habits and environmental factors on AL, using data from the NHANES 2017-2018 cycle. By employing linear regression and Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), we identify key predictors and explore interaction effects, providing new insights into how cumulative exposures contribute to chronic stress. Results from BKMR analysis underscore the importance of addressing combined exposures, particularly the synergistic effects of cadmium and alcohol consumption, in managing physiological stress.
Descriptive statistics were calculated to summarize the dataset, and multivariate linear regression was performed to assess associations between exposures and AL. BKMR was employed to estimate exposure-response functions and posterior inclusion probabilities (PIPs), focusing on identifying key predictors of AL.
Descriptive analysis indicated that the mean levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury were 1.23 µg/dL, 0.49 µg/dL, and 1.37 µg/L, respectively. The mean allostatic load was 3.57. Linear regression indicated that alcohol consumption was significantly associated with increased AL (β = 0.0933; 95% CI [0.0369, 0.1497]; = 0.001). Other exposures, including lead (β = -0.1056; 95% CI [-0.2518 to 0.0408]; = 0.157), cadmium (β = -0.0001, 95% CI [-0.2037 to 0.2036], = 0.999), mercury (β = -0.0149; 95% CI [-0.1175 to 0.0877]; = 0.773), and smoking (β = 0.0129; 95% CI [-0.0086 to 0.0345]; = 0.508), were not significant. BKMR analysis confirmed alcohol's strong importance for AL, with a PIP of 0.9996, and highlighted a non-linear effect of cadmium (PIP = 0.7526). The interaction between alcohol and cadmium showed a stronger effect on AL at higher exposure levels. In contrast, lead, mercury, and smoking demonstrated minimal effects on AL.
Alcohol consumption and cadmium exposure were identified as key contributors to increased allostatic load, while other exposures showed no significant associations. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing lifestyle habits and environmental factors in managing physiological stress.
慢性应激以生理应激反应系统的持续激活为特征，是众多健康问题的关键风险因素。累积生理应激的生物标志物——负荷过重（AL），提供了这种负担的定量测量。饮酒和吸烟等生活习惯，以及铅、镉和汞等有毒金属的环境暴露，都被认为会增加AL。然而，这些生活习惯和环境因素的综合影响仍未得到充分研究，尤其是在同时面临多种暴露的人群中。本研究旨在利用2017 - 2018年美国国家健康与营养检查调查（NHANES）周期的数据，调查生活习惯和环境因素对AL的联合影响。通过使用线性回归和贝叶斯核机器回归（BKMR），我们确定了关键预测因素并探索了交互作用，为累积暴露如何导致慢性应激提供了新的见解。BKMR分析结果强调了应对综合暴露的重要性，特别是镉和饮酒的协同作用，对管理生理应激具有重要意义。
计算描述性统计量以总结数据集，并进行多元线性回归以评估暴露与AL之间的关联。采用BKMR来估计暴露 - 反应函数和后验包含概率（PIP），重点是识别AL的关键预测因素。
描述性分析表明，铅、镉和汞的平均水平分别为1.23μg/dL、0.49μg/dL和1.37μg/L。平均负荷过重为3.57。线性回归表明，饮酒与AL增加显著相关（β = 0.0933；95%置信区间[0.0369，0.1497]；P = 0.001）。其他暴露，包括铅（β = -0.1056；95%置信区间[-0.2518至0.0408]；P = 0.157）、镉（β = -0.0001，95%置信区间[-0.2037至0.2036]，P = 0.999）、汞（β = -0.0149；95%置信区间[-0.1175至0.
