Skin aging associated with chromium among rural housewives in northern China

Jigen Na; Nan Li; Lailai Yan; Tamara Schikowski; Rongwei Ye; Jean Krutmann; Zhiwen Li

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114676

Skin aging associated with chromium among rural housewives in northern China

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Mar 15:253:114676. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114676. Epub 2023 Feb 22.

Authors

Jigen Na¹, Nan Li², Lailai Yan³, Tamara Schikowski⁴, Rongwei Ye¹, Jean Krutmann⁵, Zhiwen Li⁶

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
² Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: linan01@pku.edu.cn.
³ Department of Laboratorial Science and Technology, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁴ IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany; Swiss Tropical Institute of Public Health, Basel, Switzerland; University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.
⁵ IUF-Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine, Düsseldorf, Germany.
⁶ Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health, National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China, Institute of Reproductive and Child Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address: lizw@bjmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36827897
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114676

Abstract

Previous studies have found associations between chromium exposure and skin damage. However, few studies have focused on both chromium and skin aging. This study aimed to assess the degree of skin aging symptoms and estimate the relationship between hair chromium and skin aging among rural housewives. We recruited 405 subjects in Shanxi Province of northern China and analyzed 397 eligible hair samples with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The subjects' skin aging symptoms were assessed with SCINEXA™ (SCore of INtrinsic and EXtrinsic skin Aging). After adjusting for age and other important covariates, the regression results showed more severe skin aging symptoms in women with a higher level of hair chromium and presented an increasing linear trend. Vegetables, fruits, and beans might be a source of chromium exposure. We concluded that skin aging might be positively associated with hair chromium. It is necessary to take measures to reduce chromium exposure to prevent skin aging.

Keywords: Chromium; Hair; Housewives; Pigmentation; Skin aging.

MeSH terms

China
Chromium* / analysis
Chromium* / toxicity
Female
Hair / chemistry
Humans
Skin Aging*
Vegetables

Substances

Chromium