Environ Geochem Health. 2026 Jul 12;48(10):447. doi: 10.1007/s10653-026-03353-y.
ABSTRACT
While exposure to individual non-essential metals (NEMs) links to abdominal obesity (AOB), the NEM mixture effects and mechanisms remain unclear, particularly in vulnerable aging populations. We included 3795 community-dwelling Chinese older adults (age ≥ 60 years), measured 6 urine NEMs [gallium (Ga), arsenic (As), cesium (Cs), barium (Ba), thallium (Tl), and uranium (U)] via ICP-MS, defined AOB by sex-specific waist circumference, assessed insulin resistance (IR) via triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index, and determined vitamin D status by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. Multivariable logistic regression, mixture models [weighted quantile sum (WQS), quantile g-computation (QGC), and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR)], mediation and moderation analyses, and network toxicology analyses were performed. Multivariable logistic regression showed a positive association between urinary Tl and AOB (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 1.05-1.32). Mixture analyses consistently revealed a significant overall effect of NEMs on AOB, with Tl identified as the primary contributor (WQS weight = 0.481; QGC weight = 0.428; conditional PIP = 0.918). The TyG index was identified as a potential mediator, accounting for 10.18-7.84% of the associations between Tl and AOB and the NEM mixture and AOB, respectively. Vitamin D sufficiency [serum 25(OH)D ≥ 75 nmol/L] significantly attenuated TyG index-AOB association. Network toxicology identified the AGE-RAGE signaling pathway and several hub genes as candidate biological pathways for future investigation of the association between NEM exposure and AOB. These findings highlight the metabolic implications of NEMs, particularly Tl, and suggest that Vitamin D sufficiency may influence metabolic responses associated with AOB, offering novel insights into AOB prevention in the context of NEMs exposure.
PMID:42437414 | DOI:10.1007/s10653-026-03353-y
