Table 3. Percent change in serum testosterone concentration associated with a doubling (100% increase) in metal concentration in men aged 18-55 years from NHANES 2011-2012 (n=484).
| Unadjusted models | Adjusted modelsa | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
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| Metal | %Change | 95% CI | p-value | % Change | 95% CI | p-value |
| Blood | ||||||
| Cadmium | 5.50 | 2.36, 8.73 | 0.001* | 4.66 | 0.62, 8.87 | 0.023* |
| Lead | 5.96 | 1.61, 10.50 | 0.007* | 6.65 | 2.09, 11.41 | 0.004* |
| Manganese | -0.49 | -8.21, 7.89 | 0.906 | -0.64 | -8.22, 7.57 | 0.874 |
| Selenium | -4.68 | -22.77, 17.65 | 0.655 | 12.12 | -8.42, 37.26 | 0.267 |
| Urine | ||||||
| Arsenic | -0.29 | -2.53, 2.00 | 0.802 | -1.25 | -3.73, 1.29 | 0.330 |
| Cadmium | -1.56 | -4.26, 1.21 | 0.265 | 0.03 | -3.68, 3.89 | 0.987 |
| Lead | -0.60 | -3.59, 2.49 | 0.701 | -0.80 | -4.29, 2.81 | 0.659 |
| Manganese | -1.61 | -5.49, 2.43 | 0.429 | -1.58 | -5.35, 2.35 | 0.425 |
| Molybdenum | -2.67 | -5.66, 0.41 | 0.089 | -4.26 | -7.70, -0.69 | 0.020* |
| Thallium | -3.32 | -6.98, 0.49 | 0.087 | -3.82 | -8.14, 0.71 | 0.097 |
| Serum | ||||||
| Copper | -18.27 | -28.23, -6.93 | 0.002* | -16.43 | -26.64, -4.79 | 0.007* |
| Selenium | 1.91 | -15.41, 22.78 | 0.842 | 8.46 | -9.09, 29.39 | 0.367 |
| Zinc | 12.80 | -3.08, 31.28 | 0.120 | 13.43 | -1.68, 30.85 | 0.084 |
Abbreviations: CI, confidence interval
a
Models adjusted for 1) age [continuous: years], 2) BMI [categorical: overweight, referent=normal weight/underweight], 3) PIR [categorical: low, middle, and high income, referent=below poverty level], 4) race [categorical: Mexican American/other Hispanic, non-Hispanic Black, and non-Hispanic White, referent=other/multi-racial], 5) serum cotinine [categorical: high STS exposure/likely smoker, referent=no or little STS exposure], and 6) urinary creatinine [continuous: mg/dL] (for metals in urine only).
*
Statistically significant association between metal and testosterone.