Korean J Fam Med.  2016 Sep;37(5):273-278. 10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.5.273.

Relationship between Blood Mercury Concentration and Bone Mineral Density in Korean Men in the 2008–2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

• Kim YH
• Shim JY
• Seo MS
• Yim HJ
• Cho MR

• KMID: 2352839
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4082/kjfm.2016.37.5.273

Abstract

BACKGROUND
The results of previous studies on the association between blood mercury (Hg) and bone mineral density (BMD) are inconsistent. We therefore used a large-scale nationwide representative sample of Korean men to investigate the relationship between these two parameters.
METHODS
A nationwide cross-sectional study was conducted using data from the 2008 to 2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to evaluate the relationship between blood Hg and BMD and the prevalence of osteopenia or osteoporosis in 1,190 men over 50 years of age. BMD was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Osteopenia and osteoporosis were diagnosed for each body site according to World Health Organization T-score criteria.
RESULTS
After adjusting for age, body mass index, caloric energy and calcium intake, vitamin D levels, fish consumption, alcohol consumption, smoking, and exercise, quartiles of blood Hg were positively associated with femur neck T-scores in multiple linear regression analysis (β=0.06, P-value=0.03). Compared with the lowest blood Hg quartile, the odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for diagnosis of osteopenia or osteoporosis in the second and fourth quartiles were 0.63 (0.41-0.99) and 0.57 (0.36-0.91), respectively, in the femur neck after adjusting for the same co-variables.
CONCLUSION
High blood Hg levels were associated with reduced odds of decreased femur neck BMD in Korean men. However, subgroup analysis did not show a significant protective effect of blood Hg on osteoporotic fractures. Further research is necessary to clarify the association between blood Hg and BMD.

Keyword

Mercury; Bone Density; Osteoporosis; Osteoporotic Fractures; Men

MeSH Terms

Absorptiometry, Photon
Alcohol Drinking
Body Mass Index
Bone Density*
Bone Diseases, Metabolic
Calcium
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diagnosis
Femur Neck
Humans
Linear Models
Male
Nutrition Surveys*
Odds Ratio
Osteoporosis
Osteoporotic Fractures
Prevalence
Smoke
Smoking
Vitamin D
World Health Organization
Calcium
Smoke
Vitamin D