Seafood, wine, rice, vegetables, and other food items associated with mercury biomarkers among seafood and non-seafood consumers: NHANES 2011–2012

Details

• Alternative Title:
  J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol
• Personal Author:
  Wells, Ellen M. ; Kopylev, Leonid ; Nachman, Rebecca ; Radke, Elizabeth G ; Segal, Deborah
• Description:
  Fish/seafood consumption is a source of mercury; other dietary sources are not well described. This cross-sectional study used National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2012 data. Participants self-reported consuming fish/seafood (N = 5427) or not (N = 1770) within the past 30 days. Whole blood total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and urinary mercury (UHg) were determined. Diet was assessed using 24 h recall. Adjusted regression models predicted mercury biomarker concentrations with recent food consumption, while controlling for age, sex, education, and race/ethnicity. Geometric mean THg was 0.89 µg/L (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.78, 1.02) (seafood consumers) and 0.31 µg/L (95% CI: 0.28, 0.34) (non-seafood consumers); MeHg and UHg concentrations follow similar patterns. In adjusted regressions among seafood consumers, significant associations were observed between mercury biomarkers with multiple foods, including fish/seafood, wine, rice, vegetables/vegetable oil, liquor, and beans/nuts/soy. Among non-seafood consumers, higher THg was significantly associated with mixed rice dishes, vegetables/vegetable oil, liquor, and approached statistical significance with wine (p < 0.10); higher MeHg was significantly associated with wine and higher UHg was significantly associated with mixed rice dishes. Fish/seafood consumption is the strongest dietary predictor of mercury biomarker concentrations; however, consumption of wine, rice, vegetables/vegetable oil, or liquor may also contribute, especially among non-seafood consumers.
• Keywords:
  Adult Animals Biomarker Biomarkers Cross-Sectional Studies Diet Female Food Contamination Humans Male Mercury Methylmercury Methylmercury Compounds National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey Nutrition Surveys Oryza Seafood Vegetables Wine

  More +
• Source:
  J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol. 30(3):504-514
• Pubmed ID:
  32015433
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC7183423
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  EPA999999/ImEPA/Intramural EPAUnited States/ ; T03 OH008615/OH/NIOSH CDC HHSUnited States/ ; T03OH008615/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  30
• Issue:
  3
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:5f65452a79c5a786d87ae326c4336f3d8976e90c54d22f0e6a92a8133f21e1e7
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/87169/cdc_87169_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 368.48 KB ]