Associations of Prenatal Mercury Exposure and PUFA with Telomere Length and mtDNA Copy Number in 7-Year-Old Children in the Seychelles Child Development Nutrition Cohort 2.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) variations are linked to age-related diseases and are associated with environmental exposure and nutritional status. Limited data, however, exist on the associations with mercury exposure, particularly early in life.

Objective

We examined the association between prenatal mercury (Hg) exposure and TL and mtDNAcn in 1,145 Seychelles children, characterized by a fish-rich diet.

Methods

Total mercury (THg) was determined in maternal hair at delivery and cord blood. TL and mtDNAcn were determined relative to a single-copy hemoglobin beta gene in the saliva of 7-y-old children. Linear regression models assessed associations between THg and relative TL (rTL) and relative mtDNAcn (rmtDNAcn) while cont

SUBMITTER: Stajnko A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11793161 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature