Table 6.
The dose-response relationship between seafood intake and blood mercury concentration.
| Fish (Portion Size/Day) 1 | Shellfish and Other Seafood (Portion Size/Day) 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| <1 | 1–2 | ≥2 | p Value 3 | <1 | 1–2 | ≥2 | p Value 4 | |
| n (%) | 317 (57.3) | 140 (25.3) | 96 (17.4) | <0.001 | 514 (93.0) | 29 (5.2) | 10 (1.8) | <0.001 |
| Food group intake (g/day) [Mean ± SD] |
14.3 ± 13.0 | 53.4 ± 21.0 | 147.4 ± 125.3 | <0.001 | 56.2 ± 74.8 | 167.4 ± 88.7 | 237.3 ± 46.6 | <0.001 |
| Methylmercury intake (μg/day) [Mean ± SD] |
0.6 ± 0.9 | 2.5 ± 1.7 | 8.1 ± 9.5 | <0.001 | 0.3 ± 0.5 | 2.3 ± 1.0 | 3.9 ± 1.4 | <0.001 |
| Blood mercury (μg/L) 2 [GM (95% CI)] |
2.77 (2.60–2.96) | 3.44 (3.11–3.80) | 3.96 (3.51–4.46) | 0.001 | 3.07 (2.91–3.24) | 3.66 (3.02–4.42) | 4.19 (3.49–5.04) | 0.030 |
| OR for Blood mercury ≥ HBM I 4 [OR (95% CI)] |
1.00 | 1.24 (0.72–2.15) | 2.07 (1.15–3.72) | 0.050 | 1.00 | 2.30 (0.95–5.58) | 0.65 (0.08–5.56) | NS |
GM: Geometric Mean; CI: Confidence Interval; OR: Odds Ratio; NS: Non-Significant; 1 The portion sizes of fish and shellfish was calculated based on the Dietary Reference Intakes for Koreans 2015 [25]; 2 Blood mercury concentration data were missing for two subjects; 3 The p values were calculated by generalized linear model analysis and adjusted for sex and age, smoking status, and drinking status; 4 The HBM I value for blood mercury is 5 μg/L and the odds ratio was adjusted for sex, age, smoking status, and drinking status.