Effect of dietary patterns on the blood/urine concentration of the selected toxic metals (Cd, Hg, Pb) in Korean children

Abstract

This study was aimed to examine the association the blood/urinary concentration of toxic metal (Hg, Pb, and Cd) with children&apos;s dietary patterns. This cross-sectional study included 1026 school children aged 8-17 years. Dietary patterns were defined using factor loading scores for 108 foods from a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire. A high blood Hg level was found in boys with a high score in the &apos;fish&apos; pattern (p = 0.02), and in girls with a high score in &apos;fruit&apos; pattern (p = 0.04). The concentration of Pb was related to the &apos;imprudent&apos; pattern in high school boys (p = 0.02). The effect of the &apos;vegetable&apos; pattern on high excretion of urinary Cd was observed in low grade elementary (p = 0.04) and middle school students (p < 0.0001), and the effect of the &apos;fruit&apos; pattern on the urinary Cd was observed in high grade elementary school students (p = 0.02). This study suggests that the concentration of selected toxic metals in blood/urine could be affected by children&apos;s dietary pattern.