MON-220 Association between Heavy Metal Exposure and Hyperglycemia in Adolescents from KNHANES

Abstract Disclosure: K. Kim: None. E. Mun: None. J. Choi: None. H. Kim: None. Background: Heavy metals can play a significant role as an environmental risk factor for high blood glucose. The aim of our study was to investigate the exposure patterns of blood heavy metals in adolescents and to evaluate their association with hyperglycemia. Methods: This study analyzed data from 1,270 adolescents, aged 12 to 18, who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011 to 2013, 2016, and 2017. The impact on high blood glucose was evaluated according to individual exposure levels (continuous, tertiles). K-means clustering was used to identify exposure patterns associating Cd, Pb, and Hg measurements. Elevated HbA1c was defined as ≥5.7%, and elevated fasting glucose was defined as ≥100 mg/dL. The association between blood heavy metal exposure patterns and hyperglycemia was assessed using multivariate logistic regression and odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals were estimated. Results: In the case of Cd(cadmium) and Pb(lead), the risk of high HbA1c increased as the exposure level increased. The prevalence of hyperglycemia, defined by HbA1c and fasting glucose levels, was 17.1% and 9.0%, respectively. The participants were categorized into three groups: the high Hg (mercury) exposure group (Group 1), the high Cd and Pb exposure group (Group 2), and the low heavy metal exposure group (Group 3). Compared to the group with low heavy metal exposure, the group with high Cd and Pb exposure showed a 1.9 times higher risk of elevated HbA1c, but there was no association with elevated fasting blood glucose (FBG). In the case of high mercury exposure, the risk of elevated HbA1c and FBG increased, but these associations did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: Among the heavy metals studied, high exposure to cadmium and lead was found to be associated with elevated HbA1c levels. Therefore, it is important to prevent and educate about heavy metal exposure. Keywords; KNSHE, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, hyperglycemia, HbA1c, Presentation: Monday, July 14, 2025