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Association between urinary glyphosate levels and serum neurofilament light chain in a representative sample of US adults: NHANES 2013–2014

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (2023)Cite this article

Abstract

Background

Glyphosate, the herbicide with the highest global usage, has been found to have links to neurological impairment in some occupational studies. Neurofilament light chain (NfL) is a protein that is released into the bloodstream following neuroaxonal damage and has emerged as a reliable biomarker for various neurological disorders. However, no research has investigated the potential link between glyphosate exposure and neurological damage or serum NfL levels in the general population.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess the possible correlation between glyphosate exposure and serum NfL levels in a population that is representative of the United States.

Methods

We analyzed data from 597 adults (aged ≥20 years) from the 2013–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to explore the potential correlation between urinary glyphosate levels and serum NfL levels.

Results

We found a significant positive association between urinary glyphosate levels and serum NfL levels (ß-coefficient = 0.110; S.E. = 0.040; P = 0.015), indicating that higher levels of glyphosate exposure may be linked to higher levels of neuroaxonal damage. Furthermore, when glyphosate levels were divided into quintiles, we observed a significant trend of increasing mean NfL concentrations with increasing quintiles of glyphosate exposure (P for trend = 0.036). Notably, the association was more pronounced in certain subgroups, including those aged ≥40 years, non-Hispanic whites, and those with a BMI between 25 and 30.

Impact statement

This is the first research to suggest an association between glyphosate exposure and biomarkers indicative of neurological damage in general U.S. adults. If the correlation observed is causal, it raises concerns about the potential effects of glyphosate exposure on neurological health among U.S. adults. The study is noteworthy due to its representation of American adults aged 20 and above, as well as the use of reliable and comprehensive data from the NHANES database.

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Fig. 1: Flow chart algorithm.
Fig. 2: Geometric mean (geometric SE) of serum neurofilament light chain across quintiles of urine glyphosate in multiple linear regression models (adjusted for model 2), with results weighted for sampling strategy.

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Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available at the NHANES website (https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes/index.htm (accessed on 5 February 2023)

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank everyone who has contributed to the NHANES, including all anonymous participants.

Funding

This study was funded by grants from the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan NSC 110-2314-B-385-001-MY3.

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: An-Ming Yang, Pei-Lun Chu.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, En Chu Kong Hospital, New Taipei City, 237, Taiwan

    An-Ming Yang & Chien-Yu Lin

  2. Department of Healthcare Management, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan

    An-Ming Yang

  3. School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, 242, Taiwan

    Pei-Lun Chu & Chien-Yu Lin

  4. Department of Internal Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University Hospital, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei, 242, Taiwan

    Pei-Lun Chu

  5. Department of Environmental Engineering and Health, Yuanpei University of Medical Technology, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan

    ChiKang Wang & Chien-Yu Lin

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A-MY and P-LC participated in the literature search and paper writing. C-KW helped with proposed hypotheses and statistical analysis. C-YL developed the hypothesis setting and approved the final revision of the paper.

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Correspondence to Chien-Yu Lin.

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This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the En Chu Kong hospital (ECKIRB1120605).

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Yang, AM., Chu, PL., Wang, C. et al. Association between urinary glyphosate levels and serum neurofilament light chain in a representative sample of US adults: NHANES 2013–2014. J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-023-00594-2

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