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Prospective Study of Mercury Exposure from Pregnancy and Its Relation with Telomere Length in Spanish Children

Lozano, Manuel LU ; Soler-Blasco, Raquel ; Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva M. ; Riaño-Galán, Isolina ; Santa Marina, Loreto ; Nawrot, Tim ; Iriarte, Gorka ; Martens, Dries ; Fernández-Somoano, Ana and Ibarluzea, Jesús , et al. (2024) In Exposure and Health
Abstract

Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker linked to age-related diseases based on its sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage and inflammation. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a common pollutant in fish. It may induce oxidative stress leading to shorter TL. However, previous research showed contradictory results and dose-concentration dependencies and non-linear relationships have been suggested. This study was carried out in the INMA multi-center birth cohort prospective study comprising mother–child pairs belonging to four different Spanish cohorts from 2004. We set out to assess the association between prenatal and 4-year-old children's exposure to MeHg with TL at the ages of 4 and 7–9 years (n = 1083). Sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates, as... (More)

Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker linked to age-related diseases based on its sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage and inflammation. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a common pollutant in fish. It may induce oxidative stress leading to shorter TL. However, previous research showed contradictory results and dose-concentration dependencies and non-linear relationships have been suggested. This study was carried out in the INMA multi-center birth cohort prospective study comprising mother–child pairs belonging to four different Spanish cohorts from 2004. We set out to assess the association between prenatal and 4-year-old children's exposure to MeHg with TL at the ages of 4 and 7–9 years (n = 1083). Sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates, as well as fish consumption and estimated polyunsaturated fatty acid content, were also considered in the analyses. A mixed regression model and interaction models based on sex and fish consumption were performed. Sensitivity analyses to assess confounding effects were also built by adding to the main model other pollutants present in fish, such as other metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, as well as single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TERT and CLPTM1L genes. Longer TL was associated with higher paternal age and female sex in children. MeHg concentrations were related to higher maternal age, being primiparous, working during pregnancy, higher education, and higher fish consumption. No significant associations between prenatal or postnatal MeHg concentrations and TL were found. Sensitivity analyses showed no MeHg modification effect on TL. Further research is needed to elucidate the TL modifications found by previous studies associated with MeHg and fish consumption.

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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
keywords
Fish consumption, Mercury, Methylmercury, Telomere
in
Exposure and Health
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:85208986017
ISSN
2451-9766
DOI
10.1007/s12403-024-00678-w
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2024.
id
2dff05e5-721b-4efe-aec9-e7114a26257f
date added to LUP
2025-01-23 13:05:18
date last changed
2025-05-16 13:23:22
@article{2dff05e5-721b-4efe-aec9-e7114a26257f,
  abstract     = {{<p>Telomere length (TL) is a biomarker linked to age-related diseases based on its sensitivity to oxidative DNA damage and inflammation. Methylmercury (MeHg) is a common pollutant in fish. It may induce oxidative stress leading to shorter TL. However, previous research showed contradictory results and dose-concentration dependencies and non-linear relationships have been suggested. This study was carried out in the INMA multi-center birth cohort prospective study comprising mother–child pairs belonging to four different Spanish cohorts from 2004. We set out to assess the association between prenatal and 4-year-old children's exposure to MeHg with TL at the ages of 4 and 7–9 years (n = 1083). Sociodemographic and lifestyle covariates, as well as fish consumption and estimated polyunsaturated fatty acid content, were also considered in the analyses. A mixed regression model and interaction models based on sex and fish consumption were performed. Sensitivity analyses to assess confounding effects were also built by adding to the main model other pollutants present in fish, such as other metals, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene, as well as single nucleotide polymorphisms in the TERT and CLPTM1L genes. Longer TL was associated with higher paternal age and female sex in children. MeHg concentrations were related to higher maternal age, being primiparous, working during pregnancy, higher education, and higher fish consumption. No significant associations between prenatal or postnatal MeHg concentrations and TL were found. Sensitivity analyses showed no MeHg modification effect on TL. Further research is needed to elucidate the TL modifications found by previous studies associated with MeHg and fish consumption.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lozano, Manuel and Soler-Blasco, Raquel and Navarrete-Muñoz, Eva M. and Riaño-Galán, Isolina and Santa Marina, Loreto and Nawrot, Tim and Iriarte, Gorka and Martens, Dries and Fernández-Somoano, Ana and Ibarluzea, Jesús and Pinar-Martí, Ariadna and Julvez, Jordi and Ballester, Ferran and Broberg, Karin and Llop, Sabrina}},
  issn         = {{2451-9766}},
  keywords     = {{Fish consumption; Mercury; Methylmercury; Telomere}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Exposure and Health}},
  title        = {{Prospective Study of Mercury Exposure from Pregnancy and Its Relation with Telomere Length in Spanish Children}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12403-024-00678-w}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s12403-024-00678-w}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}