Associations of urinary essential metals and their mixture with metabolic syndrome and its components among Chinese community-dwelling older adults

Background Little is known regarding the joint effect of multiple essential metals (EMs) on metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study aimed to investigate individual and overall correlations of EMs with MetS and its components among Chinese community-dwelling older adults. Methods Six urine EMs, including molybdenum (Mo), vanadium (V), selenium (Se), calcium (Ca), cobalt (Co), and magnesium (Mg), were measured using Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) in 2222 older adults. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline (RCS) models were utilized to assess single EM effects. Quantile-based g-computation (Qgcomp) and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were applied to estimate the overall effects of multiple EMs. Results After controlling for potential confounders, Mo was significantly inversely connected to MetS (OR = 0.852, 95 % CI: 0.750 similar to 0.967). RCS displayed a negative linear association of Mo with MetS (P (for overall) = 0.039, P (for nonlinearity) = 0.942). Both BKMR and Qgcomp models showed that EM mixture was inversely related to MetS, with Mo having the highest weight. Furthermore, Mo was inversely linked with high blood pressure, and V and Se were inversely linked with low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), whereas Mg was positively linked with low HDL-C. The EM mixture was negatively correlated with high blood pressure and low HDL-C. Conclusions Urine Mo is in a linearly inverse correlation with MetS, individually and as a mixture. The EM mixture is connected to decreased MetS risk, mainly driven by Mo, which decreases the risk of high blood pressure.