title: Influence of seafood and vitamin supplementation on maternal and umbilical cord blood mercury concentration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of maternal seafood consumption and vitamin supplementation during pregnancy on maternal and umbilical cord blood mercury (Hg) concentration.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study of 145 healthy pregnant women (mean age 28.1±5.2 years), we administered questionnaires, collected paired maternal/umbilical cord blood samples, and measured the anthropometrics of newborns. Blood Hg concentration was assayed by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-one of these women (42.1%) used vitamins >3 times/wk prenatally. Seventy-eight of our study participants (61.9%) reported eating higher amounts of seafood during pregnancy. We found a strong correlation (r=0.76, p<0.001) between Hg levels in the paired maternal/umbilical cord blood samples. Mothers with high seafood consumption had a 2.91-fold greater risk (adjusted odds ratio 2.91, 95% confidence interval: 1.04-8.15, p=0.042) of high Hg levels (>5.8 μg/L). However, mothers whose prenatal vitamin intake was >3 times/wk were found to have low Hg levels (≤5.8 μg/L) (adjusted odds ratio 0.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.01-049, p=0.008).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High seafood consumption was an independent risk factor for high maternal Hg level, while vitamin supplementation was a protective factor. Further study is needed to investigate the specific effect of vitamins on Hg level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Nursing, Fooyin University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Shih-Hui
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Physical Therapy, Shu-Zen College of Medicine and Management, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ken-Pen
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Weng
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Luo-Ping
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Ger
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Education and Research, Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Huei Han
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Liou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences and Biotechnology, Fooyin University Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Laboratory Medicine, Fooyin University Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ching-Chiang
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Fooyin University Hospital, Pingtung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chung-Cheng
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Charles Tzu-Chi
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, College of Health Science, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Family Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC; Research Center for Environmental Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: e_encourage@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Ming-Tsang
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008628:Mercury / Q000097:blood*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017747:Seafood; D014815:Vitamins / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014815:Vitamins; D008628:Mercury
keywords: mercury; pregnancy; seafood; vitamin