Association of Heavy Metals and Bio-elements Blood Level with Metabolic Syndrome: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Observational Studies

Overview

Journal J Diabetes Metab Disord

Specialty Endocrinology

Date 2024 Nov 29

PMID 39610503

Authors

Motahareh Hasani

Maryam Khazdouz

Sahar Sobhani

Parham Mardi

Shirin Riahi

Fahimeh Agh

Armita Mahdavi-Gorabi

Sahar Mohammadipournami

Fatemeh Gomnam

Mostafa Qorbani

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background And Objectives: The literature has reported heavy metals might alter the physiological and biochemical functions of body organs and cause several health problems. So, the present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the association of blood levels of essential or non-essential metals with metabolic syndrome (MetS).

Methods: In this systematic review, some international databases including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched up to February 2024. All observational studies which assessed the association of three heavy metals (cadmium, mercury, lead) and bio-elements (chromium, iron, manganese, and magnesium, copper) with the risk of MetS were included. There was no limitation in the time of publication and language. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed to estimate the pooled effect sizes. Possible sources of heterogeneity were explored by meta-regression analysis.

Results: Totally, 29 studies were eligible for meta-analysis. Our results showed that increased level of cadmium (pooled OR: 1.24, 95% CI: 1.05, 1.46) and mercury (pooled OR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.38) significantly increased the risk of MetS. In contrast, increased level of chromium significantly reduced the risk of developing MetS (pooled OR: 0.68, 95% CI: 0.56, 0.83). Moreover, association between lead, iron, copper, magnesium, and manganese with MetS was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, elevated lead levels in men increased the odds of MetS.

Conclusion: Our results show a significant association between blood levels of some heavy metals, including cadmium, mercury, and lead, with increased odds of MetS. On the other hand, chromium as a biometal decreased the odds of MetS.

Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-024-01500-9.

References

Menke A, Guallar E, Cowie C . Metals in Urine and Diabetes in U.S. Adults. Diabetes. 2015; 65(1):164-71. PMC: 4686948. DOI: 10.2337/db15-0316. View

Chen S, Zhou L, Guo Q, Fang C, Wang M, Peng X . Association of plasma chromium with metabolic syndrome among Chinese adults: a case-control study. Nutr J. 2020; 19(1):107. PMC: 7513538. DOI: 10.1186/s12937-020-00625-w. View

Poursafa P, Ataee E, Motlagh M, Ardalan G, Tajadini M, Yazdi M . Association of serum lead and mercury level with cardiometabolic risk factors and liver enzymes in a nationally representative sample of adolescents: the CASPIAN-III study. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2014; 21(23):13496-502. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-014-3238-4. View

Kalan Farmanfarma K, Kaykhaei M, Adineh H, Mohammadi M, Dabiri S, Ansari-Moghaddam A . Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Iran: A meta-analysis of 69 studies. Diabetes Metab Syndr. 2019; 13(1):792-799. DOI: 10.1016/j.dsx.2018.11.055. View

Shi Y, Zou Y, Shen Z, Xiong Y, Zhang W, Liu C . Trace Elements, PPARs, and Metabolic Syndrome. Int J Mol Sci. 2020; 21(7). PMC: 7177711. DOI: 10.3390/ijms21072612. View

Jacquet A, Ounnas F, Lenon M, Arnaud J, Demeilliers C, Moulis J . Chronic Exposure to Low-Level Cadmium in Diabetes: Role of Oxidative Stress and Comparison with Polychlorinated Biphenyls. Curr Drug Targets. 2015; 17(12):1385-413. DOI: 10.2174/1389450116666150531151228. View

Lo K, Yang J, Chen C, Liu L, Huang Y, Feng Y . Associations between blood and urinary manganese with metabolic syndrome and its components: Cross-sectional analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011-2016. Sci Total Environ. 2021; 780:146527. DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146527. View

Lee B, Kim Y . Association of Blood Cadmium Level with Metabolic Syndrome After Adjustment for Confounding by Serum Ferritin and Other Factors: 2008-2012 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2015; 171(1):6-16. DOI: 10.1007/s12011-015-0499-9. View

Tinkov A, Ajsuvakova O, Skalnaya M, Popova E, Sinitskii A, Nemereshina O . Mercury and metabolic syndrome: a review of experimental and clinical observations. Biometals. 2015; 28(2):231-54. DOI: 10.1007/s10534-015-9823-2. View

10.

Li F, Wu X, Liu H, Zhang B, Liu L, Li F . Dietary copper supplementation enhances lipolysis in Rex rabbits. J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2021; 68:126851. DOI: 10.1016/j.jtemb.2021.126851. View

11.

Iqbal N, Cardillo S, Volger S, Bloedon L, Anderson R, Boston R . Chromium picolinate does not improve key features of metabolic syndrome in obese nondiabetic adults. Metab Syndr Relat Disord. 2009; 7(2):143-50. PMC: 3135886. DOI: 10.1089/met.2008.0048. View

12.

Saklayen M . The Global Epidemic of the Metabolic Syndrome. Curr Hypertens Rep. 2018; 20(2):12. PMC: 5866840. DOI: 10.1007/s11906-018-0812-z. View

13.

Buha A, dukic-Cosic D, Curcic M, Bulat Z, Antonijevic B, Moulis J . Emerging Links between Cadmium Exposure and Insulin Resistance: Human, Animal, and Cell Study Data. Toxics. 2020; 8(3). PMC: 7560347. DOI: 10.3390/toxics8030063. View

14.

Eckel R, Alberti K, Grundy S, Zimmet P . The metabolic syndrome. Lancet. 2010; 375(9710):181-3. DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61794-3. View

15.

Han S, Ha K, Jeon J, Kim H, Lee K, Kim D . Impact of Cadmium Exposure on the Association between Lipopolysaccharide and Metabolic Syndrome. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015; 12(9):11396-409. PMC: 4586682. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph120911396. View

16.

Samarghandian S, Azimi-Nezhad M, Shabestari M, Jabbari Azad F, Farkhondeh T, Bafandeh F . Effect of chronic exposure to cadmium on serum lipid, lipoprotein and oxidative stress indices in male rats. Interdiscip Toxicol. 2016; 8(3):151-4. PMC: 4961912. DOI: 10.1515/intox-2015-0023. View

17.

Wen W, Wang C, Wu D, Chen S, Hung C, Kuo C . Associations of Heavy Metals with Metabolic Syndrome and Anthropometric Indices. Nutrients. 2020; 12(9). PMC: 7551496. DOI: 10.3390/nu12092666. View

18.

Guo F, Hu Z, Li B, Qin L, Fu C, Yu H . Evaluation of the association between urinary cadmium levels below threshold limits and the risk of diabetes mellitus: a dose-response meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019; 26(19):19272-19281. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-04943-3. View

19.

Li Y, Zhang Y, Wang W, Wu Y . Association of urinary cadmium with risk of diabetes: a meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2017; 24(11):10083-10090. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8610-8. View

20.

Stern B . Essentiality and toxicity in copper health risk assessment: overview, update and regulatory considerations. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2010; 73(2):114-27. DOI: 10.1080/15287390903337100. View