The Impact of Metals and Metal Mixtures on Cardiometabolic Health among Hispanics/Latinos

Ubiquitous in the environment, metal exposures have been linked to many negative health consequences including cardiometabolic diseases. Cardiometabolic diseases including diabetes and hypertension, impact two-thirds of people in the United States and are among the leading causes of death worldwide. Importantly, these conditions do not impact all individuals equally. Cardiometabolic diseases are more prevalent in Hispanics/Latinos, and this population suffers worse complications and outcomes compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Preliminary data and literature indicate that metal and metalloid exposures may increase the risk for cardiometabolic disease and cardiometabolic disease-related traits. Furthermore, many studies have identified that Hispanics/Latinos have higher exposure burdens to environmental contaminants including metals, but few have assessed culturally specific predictors of those exposures. As a result, we evaluated the associations between individual metals and metal mixtures on longitudinal cardiovascular and metabolic traits and assessed cultural predictors of exposures within a Hispanic/Latino population in Southern Texas. The first aim of this dissertation evaluated immigration and acculturation as potential predictors of toxic metal exposures. We observed positive associations between immigration age, language, food, and media preferences with higher levels of urine lead. Additionally, we evaluated the longitudinal associations between metals and metal mixtures with glycemic traits. We observed positive associations between arsenic, molybdenum, selenium, nickel, cobalt, and zinc with worsening dysglycemia over time. The metal mixture containing arsenic, cadmium, lead, nickel, and tin was positively associated with increased post prandial glucose. Lastly, we assessed associations between metals and metal mixtures with blood pressure traits. We again observed associations between arsenic, molybdenum, zinc, and cobalt with longitudinal increases in blood pressure. Given the substantial individual and societal burden of cardiometabolic diseases, it is vital to identify modifiable risk factors to empower action for disease prevention, detection, and treatment.

Author dc:creator

• Margaret C. Weiss (24399368)

• Health Sciences
• Epidemiology

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

DOI dc:identifier

https://doi.org/10.25417/uic.32993753.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32993753