Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018
Purpose: Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), extensively used worldwide, have been associated with various health concerns, including an elevated risk of mortality. Experimental studies suggest that these herbicides may disrupt selenium homeostasis by hindering its uptake or promoting...
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003252 |
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| author | Pei-Lun Chu Ching-Chung Hsiao Ta-Chen Su Chikang Wang Chien-Yu Lin |
| author_facet | Pei-Lun Chu Ching-Chung Hsiao Ta-Chen Su Chikang Wang Chien-Yu Lin |
| author_sort | Pei-Lun Chu |
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| description | Purpose: Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), extensively used worldwide, have been associated with various health concerns, including an elevated risk of mortality. Experimental studies suggest that these herbicides may disrupt selenium homeostasis by hindering its uptake or promoting oxidative stress. However, the interplay between glyphosate exposure and selenium status remains poorly understood in epidemiological studies, particularly regarding selenium's role in modulating the mortality risk associated with glyphosate exposure in nationally representative populations. Approach and results: In this study, we analyzed data from the 2013–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 6410 participants aged 3 years and older. This dataset was linked to mortality information from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for individuals aged 18 and older, with follow-up through 2019. The primary aim was to investigate the relationships between urinary glyphosate levels, whole blood selenium, selenium intake, and the influence of selenium status on glyphosate-related all-cause mortality risk. A significant negative correlation was observed between the natural logarithm (ln) of urinary glyphosate levels and the ln of whole blood selenium in the complex multiple linear regression models, with a ß coefficient of −0.010 (SE = 0.003, P = 0.003). However, no association was found between urinary glyphosate levels and selenium intake. Furthermore, the association was particularly prominent among females, non-Hispanic whites, and individuals with lower selenium intake. When examining the relationship between glyphosate exposure, whole blood selenium levels, and all-cause mortality, higher ln-urinary glyphosate levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.43; 95 % CI: 1.00–2.09). This elevated risk was especially pronounced in individuals with whole blood selenium concentrations at or above the 50th percentile. Additionally, ln-whole blood selenium was associated with a protective effect against all-cause mortality (HR = 0.01; 95 % CI: 0.00–0.18), with the strongest protective effect observed in individuals with selenium levels below the 50th percentile. Conclusions: In this comprehensive analysis of NHANES data, our study identifies a potentially harmful relationship between glyphosate exposure and whole blood selenium levels. Notably, excessively high whole blood selenium levels may not only reduce the protective effects against all-cause mortality but could also increase the risk of glyphosate-related mortality, suggesting a U-shaped relationship between selenium levels and mortality risk. These findings highlight the need for further research into the health effects of glyphosate exposure and its interaction with selenium status, emphasizing the potential public health implications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-40ddfeea7fea4b58889f74ceca292d3f |
| institution | OA Journals |
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| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| series | Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety |
| spelling | doaj-art-40ddfeea7fea4b58889f74ceca292d3f2025-08-20T02:06:20ZengElsevierEcotoxicology and Environmental Safety0147-65132025-03-0129211798910.1016/j.ecoenv.2025.117989Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018Pei-Lun Chu0Ching-Chung Hsiao1Ta-Chen Su2Chikang Wang3Chien-Yu Lin4School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 242, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 242, TaiwanDepartment of Nephrology, New Taipei Municipal Tucheng Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, TaiwanDepartment of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan; Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100, Taiwan; Institute of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei 100, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng-Kung University, Tainan 700, TaiwanDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei 242, Taiwan; Department of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan; Department of Internal Medicine, En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City 237, Taiwan; Correspondence to: Department of Internal Medicine, En Chu Kong Hospital, No. 399, Fuxing Rd., Sanxia Dist., New Taipei City 237, Taiwan.Purpose: Glyphosate and glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs), extensively used worldwide, have been associated with various health concerns, including an elevated risk of mortality. Experimental studies suggest that these herbicides may disrupt selenium homeostasis by hindering its uptake or promoting oxidative stress. However, the interplay between glyphosate exposure and selenium status remains poorly understood in epidemiological studies, particularly regarding selenium's role in modulating the mortality risk associated with glyphosate exposure in nationally representative populations. Approach and results: In this study, we analyzed data from the 2013–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which included 6410 participants aged 3 years and older. This dataset was linked to mortality information from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) for individuals aged 18 and older, with follow-up through 2019. The primary aim was to investigate the relationships between urinary glyphosate levels, whole blood selenium, selenium intake, and the influence of selenium status on glyphosate-related all-cause mortality risk. A significant negative correlation was observed between the natural logarithm (ln) of urinary glyphosate levels and the ln of whole blood selenium in the complex multiple linear regression models, with a ß coefficient of −0.010 (SE = 0.003, P = 0.003). However, no association was found between urinary glyphosate levels and selenium intake. Furthermore, the association was particularly prominent among females, non-Hispanic whites, and individuals with lower selenium intake. When examining the relationship between glyphosate exposure, whole blood selenium levels, and all-cause mortality, higher ln-urinary glyphosate levels were significantly associated with an increased risk of mortality (Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.43; 95 % CI: 1.00–2.09). This elevated risk was especially pronounced in individuals with whole blood selenium concentrations at or above the 50th percentile. Additionally, ln-whole blood selenium was associated with a protective effect against all-cause mortality (HR = 0.01; 95 % CI: 0.00–0.18), with the strongest protective effect observed in individuals with selenium levels below the 50th percentile. Conclusions: In this comprehensive analysis of NHANES data, our study identifies a potentially harmful relationship between glyphosate exposure and whole blood selenium levels. Notably, excessively high whole blood selenium levels may not only reduce the protective effects against all-cause mortality but could also increase the risk of glyphosate-related mortality, suggesting a U-shaped relationship between selenium levels and mortality risk. These findings highlight the need for further research into the health effects of glyphosate exposure and its interaction with selenium status, emphasizing the potential public health implications.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003252GlyphosateGlyphosate-based herbicides (GBH)MortalityNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)Selenium intakeWhole blood selenium |
| spellingShingle | Pei-Lun Chu Ching-Chung Hsiao Ta-Chen Su Chikang Wang Chien-Yu Lin Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety Glyphosate Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) Mortality National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Selenium intake Whole blood selenium |
| title | Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 |
| title_full | Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 |
| title_fullStr | Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 |
| title_short | Urinary glyphosate, selenium status, and their impact on mortality: Evidence from NHANES 2013–2018 |
| title_sort | urinary glyphosate selenium status and their impact on mortality evidence from nhanes 2013 2018 |
| topic | Glyphosate Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) Mortality National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Selenium intake Whole blood selenium |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0147651325003252 |
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