Association of Blood Heavy Metal Levels with Iron Deficiency

Authors

  •   S. Sridevi Department of Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Bagayam, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu
  •   V. Padmanaban Department of Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Bagayam, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu
  •   Joe Varghese Department of Biochemistry, Christian Medical College, Bagayam, Vellore – 632004, Tamil Nadu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65129/health.v1i3.95

Keywords:

Cadmium, Environmental Exposure, Ferritin, Heavy Metals, Iron Deficiency, Lead, Mercury, Transferrin Receptor

Abstract

Background: Anaemia is a common health issue in India, more so among women. Along with diet and lifestyle, exposure to heavy metals like cadmium, lead, and mercury has also been implicated. However, their link with haemoglobin and iron levels is not well understood. This study aimed to address this lacuna by secondary analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) survey data done in the United States (US). Methods: The publicly available NHANES database was accessed, and 6296 adult participants (2858 men and 3438 women) for whom basic demographic details and results of blood investigations for heavy metals, iron-related parameters, and other routine investigations were available were included. Anaemic and non-anaemic groups were compared using an independent t-test. Linear regression was used to examine how blood heavy metal levels were associated with haemoglobin, ferritin, and transferrin receptor levels, after adjusting for gender and other potential confounders. Results: Anaemia was found in 7.7% of men and 12% of women. The average haemoglobin was 13.9 g/dL, and the mean ferritin was 65 ng/mL. Among the heavy metals, the mean levels of lead, cadmium, and mercury were 0.87 μg/dL, 0.35 μg/L, and 1.00 μg/L, respectively. Surprisingly, mercury levels (both total mercury and methyl mercury) were higher in those without anaemia compared to those with anaemia. Cadmium showed a weak negative correlation with ferritin (β = -0.07, p=0.018), suggesting that cadmium may be associated with lower iron stores. Conclusion: In this secondary analysis of data from the US, mercury levels were found to be higher in non-anaemics compared to anaemics, and cadmium was associated with reduced iron stores.

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Published

2025-09-26

How to Cite

Sridevi, S., Padmanaban, V., & Varghese, J. (2025). Association of Blood Heavy Metal Levels with Iron Deficiency. Journal of Health and Technology, 1(3), 132–136. https://doi.org/10.65129/health.v1i3.95

Issue

Volume 1, Issue 3, September 2025

Section

Research Article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Journal of Health and Technology

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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