Joint effect of multiple metals on blood lipid profile in overweight/obese and normal-weight adults: a cross-sectional study in China

Background: : Dyslipidemia may be a potential links between metals exposure and adverse cardiovascular events, which may be different in overweight/obese (OW/OB) and normal-weight adults. However, the joint effect of various metals on lipid profiles and the contribution of each metal remain unknown. Methods: : 2808 adults were recruited from Guangdong, and the blood levels of 13 metals and the serum lipid levels were measured. Multivariate log binomial regression and quantile g-computation were applied to analyze the single and joint effects of various metals on lipid profiles and the contribution of each metal among OW/OB and normal-weight adults. Results: : HDL-C was significantly decreased in OW/OB subjects, while LDL-C and non-HDL-C were significantly increased in normal-weight adults. There were significant and positive joint effects of multiple metals on various blood lipid parameters in all, OW/OB or normal-weight participants. Quantile g-computation showed that Mo, As, Cr and V contributed most to the effect of the mixture for various lipid parameter in OW/OB participants, whereas Cd, Pb, Zn, Se, Co and V contributed the most in normal-weight participants. Our findings indicated that the joint effects of multi-metals on various blood lipid parameters were positive and significant. The relative importance of various metals in various lipid profiles among OW/OB and normal-weight adults were different. Further prospective studies in larger population are needed to clarify these findings.