Background: Few studies have examined the relationship between heavy metal and serum cholesterol levels, and no recent study has examined this relationship in the US population.
Methods and results: A total of 19,591 individuals aged 0-80 years were included in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009-2012; the current study was composed of survey participants for whom some or all low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), serum triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, blood lead (Pb), total blood mercury (Hg), and blood cadmium (Cd) levels had been measured. Three tertiles (T1-T3) of heavy metals were used to explore dose-response association between heavy metal exposure and serum cholesterol level. Logistic regression was used to explore the relationship between tertiles of blood heavy metal levels and serum cholesterol levels after adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. We have shown that the groups with the highest levels of Pb, Hg, and Cd had a 56%, 73%, and 41% chance, respectively, of having a high total cholesterol level. In study subjects with the highest Pb levels, there was also a 22% chance of being in the group with the highest LDL-C level. An increase in total cholesterol and LDL-C levels was observed from the first to the third tertiles of the heavy metals studied.
Conclusion: Increasing blood Pb, Hg, and Cd levels were associated with significantly increased odds of high total cholesterol after adjusting for age, sex, and socioeconomic status.
Keywords: Heavy metals; United States; cholesterol.