Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Breast milk, a fundamental component of infant nutrition, may serve as a reservoir for various metal(loid)s, which could pose significant health risks to infants of mothers exposed to toxic metals. Human exposure levels to metal(loid)s vary across regions, influenced by differences in diet, lifestyl...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Current Research in Toxicology |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X24000549 |
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| author | Amarachi Paschaline Onyena Onyinyechi Bede-Ojimadu Taagbara Jolly Abaate Dokuboba Amachree Chiara Frazzoli Opeyemi M. Folorunso Beatrice Bocca Orish E. Orisakwe |
| author_facet | Amarachi Paschaline Onyena Onyinyechi Bede-Ojimadu Taagbara Jolly Abaate Dokuboba Amachree Chiara Frazzoli Opeyemi M. Folorunso Beatrice Bocca Orish E. Orisakwe |
| author_sort | Amarachi Paschaline Onyena |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Breast milk, a fundamental component of infant nutrition, may serve as a reservoir for various metal(loid)s, which could pose significant health risks to infants of mothers exposed to toxic metals. Human exposure levels to metal(loid)s vary across regions, influenced by differences in diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This systematic review compares metal(loid) concentrations in breast milk from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Mediterranean Europe (Med. Europe), identifying key determinants of exposure. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for articles reporting metal concentrations in human breast milk samples from SSA and Med. Europe. Weighted mean concentrations were estimated and compared between the two regions. Twenty-five studies from SSA and seventeen from Med. Europe were included in the review. Mean concentrations of cadmium (12.38 ± 1.21 µg/L vs 0.22 ± 0.51 µg/L; p < 0.0001), lead (14.96 ± 8.10 µg/L vs 1.16 ± 4.00 µg/L; p < 0.0001), and mercury (2.01 ± 1.37 µg/L vs 0.95 ± 4.32 µg/L; p = 0.008) were higher in breast milk samples from SSA than Med. Europe. Conversely, breast milk samples from SSA had lower concentrations of selenium (7.38 ± 2.67 µg/L vs 13.09 ± 16.89 µg/L; p < 0.0001) and iron (138.78 ± 106.33 µg/L vs 371.97 ± 446.74 µg/L; p < 0.0001) than those from Med. Europe. Key determinants of metal(loid)s levels in breast milk included maternal smoking, dietary patterns, and environmental exposure. There is an urgent need for effective interventions and policies to reduce metals exposure, particularly in SSA, to safeguard maternal and infant health. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-df7b1b74bab048c193cacb73301d8697 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2666-027X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Current Research in Toxicology |
| spelling | doaj-art-df7b1b74bab048c193cacb73301d86972024-12-14T06:32:57ZengElsevierCurrent Research in Toxicology2666-027X2024-01-017100201Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysisAmarachi Paschaline Onyena0Onyinyechi Bede-Ojimadu1Taagbara Jolly Abaate2Dokuboba Amachree3Chiara Frazzoli4Opeyemi M. Folorunso5Beatrice Bocca6Orish E. Orisakwe7Department of Environmental Management and Pollution, Faculty of Environmental Management, Nigeria Maritime University, Okerenkoko, Delta State, NigeriaDepartment of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kampala International University, UgandaDepartment of Public Health/Community Medicine, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Alakahia, Rivers State, NigeriaDepartment of Fisheries and Aquatic Environment, Rivers State University, Nkpolu-Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt, Rivers State P.M.B. 5080, NigeriaDepartment for Cardiovascular, Endocrine-Metabolic Diseases, and Aging, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00162 Rome, ItalyAfrican Centre of Excellence for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), University of Port Harcourt, PMB, Port Harcourt 5323, Rivers State, NigeriaDepartment of Environment and Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, ItalyAfrican Centre of Excellence for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), University of Port Harcourt, PMB, Port Harcourt 5323, Rivers State, Nigeria; Advanced Research Centre, European University of Lefke, Lefke, Northern Cyprus TR-10 Mersin, Turkey; Corresponding author at: African Centre of Excellence for Public Health and Toxicological Research (ACE-PUTOR), University of Port Harcourt, PMB, Port Harcourt 5323, Rivers State, Nigeria.Breast milk, a fundamental component of infant nutrition, may serve as a reservoir for various metal(loid)s, which could pose significant health risks to infants of mothers exposed to toxic metals. Human exposure levels to metal(loid)s vary across regions, influenced by differences in diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors. This systematic review compares metal(loid) concentrations in breast milk from Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Mediterranean Europe (Med. Europe), identifying key determinants of exposure. PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for articles reporting metal concentrations in human breast milk samples from SSA and Med. Europe. Weighted mean concentrations were estimated and compared between the two regions. Twenty-five studies from SSA and seventeen from Med. Europe were included in the review. Mean concentrations of cadmium (12.38 ± 1.21 µg/L vs 0.22 ± 0.51 µg/L; p < 0.0001), lead (14.96 ± 8.10 µg/L vs 1.16 ± 4.00 µg/L; p < 0.0001), and mercury (2.01 ± 1.37 µg/L vs 0.95 ± 4.32 µg/L; p = 0.008) were higher in breast milk samples from SSA than Med. Europe. Conversely, breast milk samples from SSA had lower concentrations of selenium (7.38 ± 2.67 µg/L vs 13.09 ± 16.89 µg/L; p < 0.0001) and iron (138.78 ± 106.33 µg/L vs 371.97 ± 446.74 µg/L; p < 0.0001) than those from Med. Europe. Key determinants of metal(loid)s levels in breast milk included maternal smoking, dietary patterns, and environmental exposure. There is an urgent need for effective interventions and policies to reduce metals exposure, particularly in SSA, to safeguard maternal and infant health.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X24000549Health riskMetal concentrationsBreast feedingEnvironmental influencesLactating mothers |
| spellingShingle | Amarachi Paschaline Onyena Onyinyechi Bede-Ojimadu Taagbara Jolly Abaate Dokuboba Amachree Chiara Frazzoli Opeyemi M. Folorunso Beatrice Bocca Orish E. Orisakwe Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis Current Research in Toxicology Health risk Metal concentrations Breast feeding Environmental influences Lactating mothers |
| title | Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full | Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_fullStr | Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_short | Lactational exposure of human infants to metal(loid)s in Sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean Europe: A systematic review and meta-analysis |
| title_sort | lactational exposure of human infants to metal loid s in sub saharan africa and mediterranean europe a systematic review and meta analysis |
| topic | Health risk Metal concentrations Breast feeding Environmental influences Lactating mothers |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666027X24000549 |
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