Association between Blood Mercury Levels and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Non-Obese Populations: The Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2012-2014

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jun 13;18(12):6412. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18126412.

Abstract

Mercury is widely distributed in the environment, and a plausible association between mercury exposure and hepatic damage has been reported. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which comprises a spectrum of liver diseases, has recently been recognized in non-obese subjects. However, there have been no studies on the relationship between internal mercury levels and NAFLD in non-obese individuals. Therefore, we investigated the association between blood mercury levels and NAFLD in non-obese subjects. Cross-sectional data (n = 5919) were obtained from the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (2012-2014). NAFLD was defined using the hepatic steatosis index (HSI). Blood mercury levels were log-transformed and divided into quartiles based on a weighted sample distribution. The association between blood mercury levels and NAFLD was analyzed using a multivariate logistic analysis after body mass index stratification. The geometric mean of blood mercury in the overweight group was significantly higher than that of the non-obese group (p < 0.001). The weighted frequencies of patients with NAFLD based on the HSI were 3.0-7.2% for the non-obese subjects and 52.3-63.2% for the overweight subjects. In the multivariate analysis, blood mercury levels were positively associated with NAFLD for both the overweight and non-obese groups (all p for trend < 0.001). Increased blood mercury levels are closely associated with NAFLD. In particular, mercury could be a risk factor for NAFLD in the non-obese population.

Keywords: Korean National Environmental Health Survey; hepatic steatosis index; mercury; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; non-obese.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Body Mass Index
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Environmental Health
  • Humans
  • Mercury*
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / chemically induced
  • Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease* / epidemiology
  • Republic of Korea / epidemiology

Substances

  • Mercury