Scardino Brooke, Dicharry Destyn, Agrawal Akshat, Xing Diensn, Bhuiyan Md Mostafizur Rahman, Bhuiyan Md Shenuarin, Rom Oren, Conrad Steven A, Vanchiere John A, Orr A Wayne, Kevil Christopher G, Bhuiyan Mohammad Alfrad Nobel
Department of Medicine, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at Shreveport, Shreveport, LA 71103, USA.
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2025 Jun 1;297:118238. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.118238. Epub 2025 Apr 25.
Metabolic Syndrome (MetS), a condition affecting over one-third of the U.S. population, heightens the risk of cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and premature mortality. While individual links between heavy metals (HM), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and MetS have been established, the impact when these environmental toxins are combined remains unclear and unexplored. This study investigates how simultaneous exposure to HMs and VOCs influences the risk of MetS.
Weighted Quantile Sum regression and Bayesian kernel Machine Regression were performed on data from 6603 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011-2020) to determine the impact of HMs and VOCs detected in urine on MetS. Further analyses were performed for individuals placed in subgroups based on age, sex, race/ethnicity, and monthly poverty level index.
The analyses reveal that combined exposure to HMs and VOCs is associated with an increased risk of MetS; in particular, exposure to cadmium, tin, N-acetyl-S-(N-methyl carbamoyl)-L-cysteine, and N-acetyl-S-(2-carboxyethyl)-L-cysteine significantly elevates the risk of developing MetS. Younger adults (18-50 years), men, Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, and those with a monthly poverty index > 1.3 (higher socioeconomic status) emerged as the most vulnerable groups.
These findings emphasize an urgent need to address and tackle the cumulative impact of environmental toxins through a shift in public health efforts to go beyond investigating isolated exposures to address real-world chemical exposures. By understanding these cumulative risks, we can begin to mitigate them and pave the way for more effective interventions, especially for at-risk populations.
代谢综合征（MetS）影响着超过三分之一的美国人口，增加了心血管疾病、2型糖尿病和过早死亡的风险。虽然重金属（HM）、挥发性有机化合物（VOC）与代谢综合征之间的个别联系已经确立，但这些环境毒素联合作用时的影响仍不明确且未被探索。本研究调查了同时接触重金属和挥发性有机化合物如何影响代谢综合征的风险。
对国家健康与营养检查调查（2011 - 2020年）中6603名参与者的数据进行加权分位数和回归分析以及贝叶斯核机器回归分析，以确定尿液中检测到的重金属和挥发性有机化合物对代谢综合征的影响。根据年龄、性别、种族/民族和每月贫困水平指数对个体进行亚组划分，并进行进一步分析。
分析表明，同时接触重金属和挥发性有机化合物会增加患代谢综合征的风险；特别是，接触镉、锡、N - 乙酰 - S -（N - 甲基氨基甲酰）- L - 半胱氨酸和N - 乙酰 - S -（2 - 羧乙基）- L - 半胱氨酸会显著增加患代谢综合征的风险。年轻人（18 - 50岁）、男性、西班牙裔和非西班牙裔白人以及每月贫困指数> 1.3（较高社会经济地位）的人群是最脆弱的群体。
这些发现强调迫切需要通过转变公共卫生工作重点来应对和解决环境毒素的累积影响，从只调查单一暴露转向应对现实世界中的化学暴露。通过了解这些累积风险，我们可以开始减轻它们，并为更有效的干预措施铺平道路，特别是针对高危人群。
