Mercury and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men

The Scientific Paper:

Kazuko Yoshizawa, Eric B. Rimm, Steven Morris, Vickie L. Spate, Chung-Cheng Hsieh, Donna Spiegelman, Meir J. Stampfer, and Walter C. Willett. New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Vol. 347, No. 22, pp 1755-1760. 2002.

Review This Scientific Paper’s Abstract:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=
PubMed&list_uids=12456851&dopt=Citation

The Purpose of this Study:
To determine if mercury in people increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) in men.

Some Background, Methods, Results, Caveats, and Other Select Points:

• This peer-reviewed, scientific paper was published in 2002.
• This is an epidemiological study conducted among men who are health professionals.
• These scientists studied 51,529 men who were 40 to 75 years old in 1986. The men were part of the U.S. recognized health professions including physicians, dentists, and veterinarians. These men had no previous history of coronary heart disease and were enrolled in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. They were followed over the years to see if there is some relation between diet and coronary heart disease.
• About 33,737 of these men submitted toenail clippings in 1987. These toenail clippings were later analyzed for several metals including mercury, selenium, and cadmium. The scientists reviewed a 1986 questionnaire from these men to determine their food intake. The scientists next considered whether each man was older, a smoker, or had other known risks for coronary heart disease to see if there is an increased risk for coronary heart disease when men also have higher amounts of mercury in their bodies.
• These scientists concluded that mercury levels in toenail clippings may not be a good indicator of long-term mercury intake.
• Because this was a study of health professional men that included some dentists, some of these men were exposed to mercury both from eating fish and also from working with certain mercury-containing, dental filling material(s) on the job. These two different forms of mercury (regular mercury and the methylmercury found in seafood) might have different influences on the risk of coronary heart disease in these male health professionals.
• The mercury levels found in the toenail clippings of these men were matched with the amount of fish they reported eating. The average mercury levels of the toenails are higher in dentists who work with certain, mercury-containing, dental fillings materials than in non-dentists.
• After considering age, smoking, and other known heart disease risks, the mercury levels in these men were not significantly associated with the risk of coronary heart disease.
• In this same Health Professionals Follow-up Study, those men who ate even more fish (starting at one to 2 servings per week and then increasing up to 5 to 6 servings per week) did have an increased overall incidence of coronary heart disease.

A Bottom Line:
This study does not support an association between total mercury exposure and the risk of coronary heart disease among men, but a weak relation cannot be ruled out.

Find This Scientific Paper for Your Review:
Mercury and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men. New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) Vol. 347, No. 22, pp 1755-1760. 2002.