Risk-benefit analysis of methylmercury exposure and unsaturated fatty acids intake through fish intake

• Project/Area Number: 26293146
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Hygiene and public health
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: NAKAI Kunihiko 東北大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (00291336)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 龍田 希 東北大学, 医学(系)研究科(研究院), 助教 (40547709) ; 木村 ふみ子 東北大学, (連合)農学研究科(研究院), 助教 (50321980) ; 上野 大介 佐賀大学, 農学部, 准教授 (60423604)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2016)
• Budget Amount: ¥17,160,000 (Direct Cost: ¥13,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥3,960,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥5,720,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,320,000); Fiscal Year 2014: ¥6,500,000 (Direct Cost: ¥5,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,500,000)
• Keywords: 社会医学 / 環境 / コホート / 有害化学物質 / 不飽和脂肪酸 / メチル水銀

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fish intake has been shown to be the major exposure route to methylmercury, while n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is taken through fish intake, suggesting that fish intake includes the beneficial and risk sides. However, there is no epidemiological evidence of fish intake in Japanese pregnant women. Thus, beneficial effects of DHA had been examined in a cohort study. Cord blood progesterone was included as covariance in the analyses, since this sex hormone correlated with cord blood erythrocyte DHA, and DHA was influenced by the sex of infant. Multiple regression analyses showed positive effects of DHA on cognitive and attention regions of children at 7 months old, while the adverse effects of exposure to methylmercury was not consistent. There were no significant effects of DHA and methylmercury exposure in children of 24 months old. These results recommend the increase in fish intake in pregnant women with avoiding of methylmercury exposure.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Determinants of polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in erythrocytes of pregnant Japanese women from a birth cohort study: study protocol and baseline findings of an adjunct study of the Japan environment & Children’s study (2017)
  • Author(s): Saito S, Kawabata T, Tatsuta N, Kimura F, Miyazawa T, Mizuno S, Nishigori H, Arima T, Kagawa Y, Yoshimasu K, Tsuno K, Ito Y, Kamijima M, Nakai K, Yaegashi N, Miyagi Study Group of Japan Environment & Children’s Study.
  • Journal Title: Environmental Health and Preventive Medicine Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Pages: 22-22
  • DOI: 10.1186/s12199-017-0636-5
  • NAID: 210000130204
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Acknowledgement Compliant
• [Presentation] 環境曝露とアウトカムの測定時間：先行する出生コホート調査の経験から (2017)
  • Author(s): 仲井邦彦
  • Organizer: 第87回日本衛生学会学術総会
  • Place of Presentation: フェニックス・シーガイア・リゾート（宮崎県・宮崎市）
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-26
• [Presentation] 母体血および臍帯血赤血球中の不飽和脂肪酸レベルを決定する要因 (2017)
  • Author(s): 仲井邦彦, 龍田 希, 川端輝江, 津野香奈美, 吉益光一, 伊藤由起, 上島通浩, 有馬隆博, 齋藤彰治, 八重樫伸生
  • Organizer: 第87回日本衛生学会学術総会
  • Place of Presentation: フェニックス・シーガイア・リゾート（宮崎県・宮崎市）
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-26
• [Presentation] Polyunsaturated fatty acids profile of maternal erythrocytes and its determinants in Japanese pregnant women from an adjunct JECS cohort. (2015)
  • Author(s): Nakai K, Saitoh S, Kawabata T, Kimura F, Tatsuta N, Nakagawa K, Miyazawa T, Arima T, Kagawa Y, Mizuno S, Nishigori H, Yaegashi N, Miyagi Study Group of Japan Environment & Children's Study
  • Organizer: 12th Asian Congress of Nutrition
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜市・パシフィコ横浜
  • Year and Date: 2015-05-14
• [Presentation] The relation of the fatty acid composition between the placenta and maternal and fetal erythrocyte in Japanese pregnant. (2015)
  • Author(s): Kimura F, Yamazaki I, Nakagawa K, Nakai K, Kawabata T, Kagawa Y, Saitoh S, Mizuno S, Yaegashi N, Arima T, Miyazawa T.
  • Organizer: 12th Asian Congress of Nutrition
  • Place of Presentation: 横浜市・パシフィコ横浜
  • Year and Date: 2015-05-14
• [Presentation] 妊娠女性の末梢血赤血球ω3系不飽和脂肪酸の決定因子―エコチル調査の追加調査から. (2015)
  • Author(s): 仲井邦彦, 齋藤彰治, 龍田希, 川端輝江, 木村ふみ子, 水野聖士, 西郡秀和, 有馬隆博, 八重樫伸生.
  • Organizer: 第85回日本衛生学会学術総会
  • Place of Presentation: 和歌山県民文化会館（和歌山市）
  • Year and Date: 2015-03-26 – 2015-03-28
• [Presentation] 臍帯血不飽和脂肪酸と産科学的指標―エコチル調査と連携した出生コホート調査より. (2014)
  • Author(s): 仲井邦彦, 龍田希.
  • Organizer: 第73回日本公衆衛生学会総会
  • Place of Presentation: 栃木県総合文化センター（宇都宮市）
  • Year and Date: 2014-11-05 – 2014-11-07