Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Environmental exposure to heavy metals has affected human health. Several studies have suggested that lead increase oxidative stress and induce mitochondrial dysfunction. The objective was to determine whether there was an association between blood lead level and impaired fasting glucose (IFG) in middle-aged population.

Research design and methods: This study was based on the data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), conducted by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2008–2011. Of 37 753 participants, data for 2366 adults ≥40 years of age without diabetes were included in the analysis. Subjects were subdivided according to quartile of blood lead level. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify whether there was an independent association between blood lead level and IFG by adjusting for confounding factors.

Results: Blood concentration of lead was significantly higher in IFG group, compared with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) group (IFG, 2.723±0.565 μg/dl and NGT, 2.522±0.384, P=0.002). The prevalence of IFG increased significantly by increasing quartile of blood lead level (Q1, 20.6%; Q2, 21.6%; Q3, 26.7%; and Q4, 31.1%; P=0.001). After fully adjusting for confounding factors, including lifestyle behaviors, sociodemographic factors, family history of diabetes, and known diabetes risk factors, the fourth quartile of blood lead level (>3.091 μg/dl) was significantly associated with IFG (odds ratio 1.491 (95% CI 1.004–2.214)).

Conclusions: Blood lead level was independently associated with IFG in middle-aged population. We propose that the lead may contribute to increasing glucose level and risk of prediabetes.