Association between serum copper and blood glucose: a mediation analysis of inflammation indicators in the NHANES (2011–2016)

作者：Zijing Cheng, Yuzhe Kong, Wenqi Yang, Haitao Xu, Decheng Tang, Yu Zuo · 发表于：Frontiers in Public Health · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/fpubh.2024.1401347 · 被引用次数：18 · 研究领域：Trace Elements in Health、Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity、Heavy metals in environment

Background The rising prevalence of diabetes underscores the need for identifying effective prevention strategies. Recent research suggests environmental factors, particularly heavy metals like copper, significantly influence health outcomes, including diabetes, through mechanisms involving inflammation and oxidative stress. This study aims to explore how serum copper levels affect blood glucose, employing NHANES data from 2011 to 2016, to provide insights into environmental health’s role in diabetes prevention and management. Methods The study analyzed data from 2,318 NHANES participants across three cycles (2011–2016), focusing on those with available data on serum copper, inflammatory markers, and blood glucose levels. We utilized principal component analysis for selecting inflammatory markers, mediation analysis to examine direct and indirect effects, multiple linear regression for assessing relationships between markers and glucose levels, and weighted quantile sum regression for evaluating individual and collective marker effects, adjusting for demographic variables and serum copper. Results Participants averaged 42.70 years of age, with a near-even split between genders. Average serum copper was 119.50 μg/dL, white blood cell count 6.82 × 109/L, and fasting blood glucose 107.10 mg/dL. Analyses identified significant mediation by inflammatory markers (especially white blood cells: 39.78%) in the copper-blood glucose relationship. Regression analyses highlighted a positi...