Mercury and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men

• Published in: The New England journal of medicine Vol. 347; no. 22; pp. 1755 - 1760
• Main Authors: Yoshizawa, Kazuko, Rimm, Eric B, Morris, J. Steven, Spate, Vickie L, Hsieh, Chung-cheng, Spiegelman, Donna, Stampfer, Meir J, Willett, Walter C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Massachusetts Medical Society 28-11-2002
• Subjects: Angioplasty; Animals; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Case-Control Studies; Coronary Disease - chemically induced; Dentists; Diet; Drug Interactions; Family medical history; Fatty Acids, Omega-3 - administration & dosage; Fishes; Heart; Heart attacks; Heart surgery; Humans; Male; Mens health; Mercury - adverse effects; Mercury - analysis; Multivariate Analysis; Nails - chemistry; Questionnaires; Random Allocation; Risk Factors; Selenium - analysis
• ISSN: 0028-4793; 1533-4406
• DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa021437

This nested case–control study of a cohort comprising dentists and other health professionals assessed the association between toenail mercury levels and the risk of coronary heart disease. No significant association was found between mercury and coronary disease events overall. However, the authors note that the effects of elemental mercury (to which dentists are occupationally exposed) might differ from those of methylmercury found in fish.
This study of dentists found no association between mercury levels and the risk of myocardial infarction.
Several lines of evidence suggest that oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) in the arterial intima has an important role in atherogenesis.
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Mercuric chloride increased hydrogen peroxide formation and depleted glutathione in rats.
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In a prospective cohort study in eastern Finland, fish consumption and the levels of mercury in the hair were positively associated with the risk of coronary heart disease and with serum titers of immune complexes containing oxidized LDL. The authors hypothesized that the associations were due to catalysis of lipid peroxidation by mercury, with which fish in the region are highly contaminated.
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Cadmium is also postulated to . . .