Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese
Abstract Environmental exposure to heavy metals may adversely affect lung function particularly in the elderly. However, limited data are available directly evaluating the relationship of heavy metal exposures with lung function in Chinese elderly. We aimed to investigate the associations between pl...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93525-0 |
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| author | Junpu Yu Rongxuan Zhang Aimin Yang Jingli Yang Yiwen Zhang Rongjie Wu Fanhui Luo Huiling Luo Rentong Chen Bin Luo Li Ma |
| author_facet | Junpu Yu Rongxuan Zhang Aimin Yang Jingli Yang Yiwen Zhang Rongjie Wu Fanhui Luo Huiling Luo Rentong Chen Bin Luo Li Ma |
| author_sort | Junpu Yu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Environmental exposure to heavy metals may adversely affect lung function particularly in the elderly. However, limited data are available directly evaluating the relationship of heavy metal exposures with lung function in Chinese elderly. We aimed to investigate the associations between plasma metals and lung function among Chinese elderly residents. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 308 elderly residents in an industrial area and a non-industrial area in northwest China and estimated the single and combined effects of plasma metals and their interactions with lung functions (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1], and FEV1/FVC). We analyzed 12 plasma metals and identified 4 metals by lasso regression and BKMR model for further analysis. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile-g computation (QG-comp) models estimated four metals that had greater importance in lung function indicators, namely strontium (Sr), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni). Subgroup analyses were performed based on the resident areas. Both BKMR and QG-comp models showed metal mixtures was positively associated with FEV1/FVC (0.046 [0.017,0.075]) among all participants but of negative association with FVC, and similar results were found among participants in non-industrial area. The subgroup analysis by region showed higher heavy metal levels in industrial areas than non-industrial area. Sr concentrations were lower in non-industrial area, but they had a negative effect on FVC. In conclusion, plasma Sr, Cr, Co, and Ni levels are significant associated with lung function particularly with restrictive ventilatory dysfunction among the Chinese elderly population. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1bc0f12bf8754bf8a5be722bf5651c1d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-1bc0f12bf8754bf8a5be722bf5651c1d2025-08-20T03:01:41ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-03-0115111110.1038/s41598-025-93525-0Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly ChineseJunpu Yu0Rongxuan Zhang1Aimin Yang2Jingli Yang3Yiwen Zhang4Rongjie Wu5Fanhui Luo6Huiling Luo7Rentong Chen8Bin Luo9Li Ma10School of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversityDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou CityDepartment of Medicine and Therapeutics, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong KongWest China Biomedical Big Data Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan UniversitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversityDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Hospital of Lanzhou CitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversitySchool of Public Health, Lanzhou UniversityAbstract Environmental exposure to heavy metals may adversely affect lung function particularly in the elderly. However, limited data are available directly evaluating the relationship of heavy metal exposures with lung function in Chinese elderly. We aimed to investigate the associations between plasma metals and lung function among Chinese elderly residents. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 308 elderly residents in an industrial area and a non-industrial area in northwest China and estimated the single and combined effects of plasma metals and their interactions with lung functions (forced vital capacity [FVC], forced expiratory volume in 1 s [FEV1], and FEV1/FVC). We analyzed 12 plasma metals and identified 4 metals by lasso regression and BKMR model for further analysis. Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) and quantile-g computation (QG-comp) models estimated four metals that had greater importance in lung function indicators, namely strontium (Sr), chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co) and nickel (Ni). Subgroup analyses were performed based on the resident areas. Both BKMR and QG-comp models showed metal mixtures was positively associated with FEV1/FVC (0.046 [0.017,0.075]) among all participants but of negative association with FVC, and similar results were found among participants in non-industrial area. The subgroup analysis by region showed higher heavy metal levels in industrial areas than non-industrial area. Sr concentrations were lower in non-industrial area, but they had a negative effect on FVC. In conclusion, plasma Sr, Cr, Co, and Ni levels are significant associated with lung function particularly with restrictive ventilatory dysfunction among the Chinese elderly population.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93525-0Heavy metalsMixed effectLung functionCross-sectional studyElderly population |
| spellingShingle | Junpu Yu Rongxuan Zhang Aimin Yang Jingli Yang Yiwen Zhang Rongjie Wu Fanhui Luo Huiling Luo Rentong Chen Bin Luo Li Ma Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese Scientific Reports Heavy metals Mixed effect Lung function Cross-sectional study Elderly population |
| title | Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese |
| title_full | Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese |
| title_fullStr | Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese |
| title_short | Cross-sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly Chinese |
| title_sort | cross sectional associations between multiple plasma heavy metals and lung function among elderly chinese |
| topic | Heavy metals Mixed effect Lung function Cross-sectional study Elderly population |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-93525-0 |
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