Association between whole blood essential trace elements and cognitive function in older adults

Yao-Yao Lin; Lin Meng; Fan-Jia Guo; Xin-Han Zhang; Dan-Dan Yang; Xue-Cheng Yao; Ming-Juan Jin; Jian-Bing Wang; Meng-Ling Tang; Kun Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115114

Association between whole blood essential trace elements and cognitive function in older adults

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 Aug:261:115114. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115114. Epub 2023 Jun 11.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Public Health, Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
² Department of Public Health, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
³ Department of Public Health, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, International Institutes of Medicine, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Yiwu 322000, China.
⁴ Department of Public Health, National Clinical Research Center for Child Health of Children's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
⁵ Department of Public Health, Fourth Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: tangml@zju.edu.cn.
⁶ Department of Public Health, Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address: ck@zju.edu.cn.

PMID: 37311392
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.115114

Abstract

Background: Essential trace elements (ETEs) are essential nutrients for keeping the nervous system functioning. Associations between ETEs and cognitive function are still inconclusive and limited.

Objectives: We aimed to investigate the individual and joint associations between ETEs and cognitive function among older adults.

Methods: A population (N = 2181) at an average age≥ 65 from Yiwu cohort in China was available for this study. Whole blood chromium (Cr), selenium (Se), manganese (Mn), and copper (Cu) concentrations were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), consisting of five specific cognitive domains: orientation, registry, attention and calculation, recall, and language and praxis. Linear regression, restricted cubic spline (RCS) analysis, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to analyze the individual and joint associations between ETEs and cognitive function.

Results: The association between Cr and MMSE score presented an inverted-U shape (Q3 versus Q1: β = 0.774, 95 % CI: 0.297, 1.250; Q4 versus Q1: β = 0.481, 95 % CI: 0.006, 0.956); and Cr was especially associated with the registry, recall, and language and praxis. Per IQR (36.32 μg/L) increase of Se was positively associated with the MMSE score (β = 0.497, 95 % CI: 0.277, 0.717) and all five cognitive domains. The BKMR showed that the dose-response association between Se and cognitive function increased initially and then decreased with increasing Se concentration when fixed the other ETEs in median. ETEs mixture was positively associated with cognitive function, and Se (posterior inclusion probabilities, PIPs = 0.915) was the most important contributor within the ETEs mixture.

Conclusions: The nonlinear association between Cr and cognitive function suggested further exploration of an appropriate concentration range for ETEs. A positive association between mixed ETEs and cognitive function is a reminder that their joint association should be considered. Further prospective studies or intervention studies are warranted to validate our findings in the future.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Essential trace element; Joint association; Mixtures; Older adults.

MeSH terms

Aged
Bayes Theorem
Chromium
Cognition
Humans
Prospective Studies
Selenium*
Trace Elements*

Substances

Trace Elements
Selenium
Chromium