BACKGROUND AND AIM: The association between insulin resistance and thyroid carcinoma is controversial. The purpose of this study is to examine the potential effects of insulin resistance on the risk of thyroid cancer among Korean adults. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included a total of 1,782 adults (204 cases and 1,764 controls without chronic diseases) aged 19 to 59 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2016-2021. Homeostasis Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and Quantitative Insulin Sensitivity Check Index (QUICKI) were used as insulin resistance indices. The multivariable conditional logistic regression analysis was applied to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: HOMA-IR was positively associated with the risk of thyroid cancer in all models: compared to tertile 1 of HOMA-IR, ORs were 1.69 (95% CIs = 0.93-3.05) and 4.57 (2.56-8.16) for tertiles 2 and 3, respectively (p for trend 0.001) in multivariable model. Similarly, QUICKI was inversely associated with the risk of thyroid cancer in all models: compared to tertile 1 of HOMA-IR, ORs were 0.37 (95% CIs = 0.22-0.61) and 0.22 (0.12-0.39) for tertiles 2 and 3, respectively (p for trend 0.001) in multivariable models. CONCLUSIONS: We found a significant association between higher levels of insulin resistance and a higher prevalence of thyroid cancer among Korean adults. In conclusion, our study suggests the importance of developing strategies for insulin management to prevent thyroid cancer in Korea, particularly through dietary intervention, which is known to be related to our findings.
The Mothers and Children's Environmental Health study (MOCEH) is a multi-centric prospective birth cohort study investigating effects of various environmental pollutants like heavy metals, endocrine disruptors, air pollutants, nutrition and lifestyle on birth outcomes, growth and development, health and disease of children. In this study, we report all the outcomes from the MOCEH study describing the different environmental pollutants affecting children's health and disease.In MOCEH study, 1,751 pregnant women in their first trimester were recruited at 3 centers from 2006 to 2010 in South Korea. The children were followed from birth up to 6 years. Information on health outcomes of children including birth parameters, demographic characteristics, medical and child-rearing history, and nutritional status, were repeatedly obtained through the follow-ups by questionnaires administration, clinical evaluation, and biological specimen collection and measurements. Prenatal and postnatal measurement in biospecimen, i.e., lead, mercury, cadmium, manganese, 1-hydroxypyrene, 2-naphthol, malonadialdehyde, hippuric acid, bisphenol A and phthalate metabolites, and measurement in air samples, i.e., particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, and total volatile organic compounds were performed.The results show the adverse effect of prenatal exposure to heavy metals like mercury, lead and cadmium on children's physical, cognitive and neurobehavioral development. Exposure to endocrine disruptors, air pollution, second hand smoke, and mother's lifestyle during pregnancy affects children's growth and development. We also identified specific window periods of exposure of pollutants significantly related to children's health outcomes.The collective results from MOCEH study provide strong scientific evidence that exposures to prenatal and postnatal environmental pollutants have a negative effect on growth and development of children, which will be useful in implementing effective national policy to improve children's environmental health.
Bisphenols are endocrine disruptors that may be associated with altered fetal growth in humans, and they have similar biological functions to mimic hormones. In addition, aggregated chemicals showed an adverse effect although individual concentration was at a low level. However, most studies between bisphenols and birth outcomes have focused on the effect of individual bisphenol. Thus, we explored the associations of urinary bisphenol mixtures with birth outcomes. We conducted a prospective birth cohort study in South Korea. One hundred eighty mother-infant pairs were recruited from 2017 to 2019. Bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol F (BPF), and bisphenol S (BPS) in one spot urine were analyzed using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry. We used two statistical approaches to examine potential associations of BPA, BPF, and BPS with birth weight and gestational age: (1) multivariable linear regression; (2) Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR). The geometric means of BPA, BPF, and BPS were 2.1, 0.2, and 0.1 μg/L, respectively. In stratified linear analyses by each median value, a higher BPF was positively associated with birth weight (g) (β = 125.5; 95% CI: 45.0 to 205.9). Mixture analyses using BKMR suggested an inverse association between bisphenol mixtures and birth weight. Our findings suggest that in utero bisphenol exposure may influence birth weight and that such relationships may differ considering non-linearity and the combined effect.
Abstract Backgrounds: Alcohol consumption is the Group I carcinogen according to International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). In 2009, National Cancer Center Korea reported that 3.0% and 0.5% of total cancer incidence were attributable to alcohol consumption in men and women, respectively. Herein, we estimated population attributable fraction (PAF) of cancer incidence due to alcohol consumption as of 2020. Methods: We organized the Consensus Committee to establish strategy and methodology of PAF estimation. Based on the consensus, cancer sites for PAF estimation were selected according to the IARC List of classification with sufficient evidence in human. PAF was calculated by using Levin’s formula which incorporates exposure prevalence and relative risk (RR). Exposure prevalence was obtained from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) in 2005, assuming that latent period between exposure to alcohol consumption and diagnosis of cancer would be 15 years. Alcohol consumption was defined as non-drinking (<0.1g/day), light (0.1~30g/day), moderate (30~60g/day), and heavy (60~588g/day) drinking according to the definition by World Health Organization. We estimated RRs from the cohort data established by Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study, National Health Examination data provided by National Health Insurance Services, Korean Cancer Prevention Study-II, and KNHANES, while each cohort was linked with Korea Cancer Registry. RRs were estimated by using Cox proportional hazards model adjusted by age group and smoking status. RRs were then meta-analyzed to yield pooled RR by using random-effects model. Results: A total of 4.1% and 1.2% of all cancer incidence were attributable to alcohol consumption in men and women. By cancer sites, 67.1% of esophageal cancer, 23.8% of oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer, 15.1% of laryngeal cancer, 12.0% of colorectal cancer, and 7.9% of liver cancer were attributable to alcohol consumption in men. In women, 54.1% of liver cancer, 10.3% of colorectal cancer, 7.8% of oral cavity/pharyngeal cancer, and 3.6% of breast cancer were due to alcohol consumption. Conclusion: PAF of cancer incidence due to alcohol consumption has increased in 2020 compared to PAF in 2009. As alcohol consumption is an important cause of oral cavity/pharyngeal, esophageal, and laryngeal cancer in men, and liver and breast cancer in women, prevention measures are required to reduce alcohol consumption for cancer prevention in Korea. Citation Format: Ye Lin Min, YounJu Park, Su Jung Byoun, Sue_Kyung Park, Kwang Pil Ko, So-Seul Sung, Na Young Kim, Keum Ji Jung, Sun Ha Jee, Sung-Il Cho, Min Kyung Lim, Sohee Park, Eun Young Park, Hae Dong Woo, Kyu-Won Jung, E Hwa Yun, Byungmi Kim, Jin-Kyoung Oh, Yoonjoo Choi, Bohyun Park, Hong Gwan Seo, Yoon-Jung Choi, Jeong-Soo Im. Population attributable fraction of alcohol consumption on cancer incidence in 2020 in the Republic of Korea [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 2201.
Abstract Background: Depression shows different patterns depending on socioeconomic status (SES) and metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the nature of this association remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine whether the combination of MS and lower SES was associated with the prevalence of depression, based on data from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional study of 24,102 adults (>19 years of age) who participated in the KNHANES during 2008–2013 and for whom MS and depression data were available. MS was defined using the diagnostic criteria of the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. Measure of depression was ascertained from self-reports of physician diagnosis. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the association between depression and MS as well as SES (alone and in combination). Results: Overall, 622 of the 24,102 subjects (2.6%) met the criteria for depression. The prevalence of depression was associated with MS, a lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, an elevated triglyceride level, a lower education level, and a lower household income. Participants with MS and a low SES had a higher likelihood of depression than those without MS and a high SES (odds ratio [OR]=4.180 for low education level and OR=3.994 for low household income level). Conclusions: This study suggests that the combination of SES and MS may play an important role in depression, which has implications for healthcare policy and depression management.
Abstract The triglyceride glucose (TyG) index was suggested as a novel reliable surrogate marker for insulin resistance and related cardiovascular-metabolic diseases. We aimed to evaluate the association between the TyG index and environmental exposure to lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and cadmium (Cd). A total of 9645 adults who enrolled in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2005, 2008–2013, and 2016 were included. Fasting plasma glucose and triglyceride levels were used to calculate the TyG index. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We noted an increasing trend in the TyG index with increment of blood Pb and Cd concentrations. Participants in the highest quartile of blood Pb and Cd concentrations had higher TyG index values than those in the lowest quartile, with ORs (95% CIs) of 1.32 (1.07–1.63) and 1.29 (1.04–1.59) for Pb and Cd, respectively. Strong associations between blood Pb and Cd concentrations and the TyG index were found in men. Blood Hg concentrations did not show a significant association with the TyG index. Our study suggests that public health strategies for cardiovascular-metabolic disorder prevention should be directed toward individuals exposed to priority heavy metals.
Abstract Purpose Studies that have compared the overall health behaviors of male survivors of cancer and the population without cancer in South Korea are limited. Therefore, we aimed to compare the quality of life and health-related behaviors of cancer survivors and the population without cancer in South Korea. Methods This cross-sectional, matched case-control study recruited Korean males aged 19–80 years from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) VIII. Of the 11,760 participants, 349 cancer survivors and 1,047 controls without cancer were matched by 1:3 propensity score matching using age, cohabitation, household income, education level, employment status, type of job, and private insurance. Height, weight, smoking status, drinking status, and physical activity status were also recorded. Results The cancer survivors had lower odds of being overweight and higher odds of being former smokers and drinkers than the controls after adjusting for potential confounders. The cancer survivors and controls showed no significant differences in physical activity or food consumption. No significant differences were noted among the young adults. However, the middle-aged and older male cancer survivors were more likely to be overweight and obese, respectively. The middle-aged survivors were also more likely to be former smokers, while the older survivors were more likely to be former drinkers. Conclusion The cancer survivors were more likely to have a normal weight, be past smokers, or be former drinkers. Education on cancer prevention is required to improve health-related behaviors and prevent secondary cancer.