Maternal Manganese Exposure and Infant Birth Weight

Abstract

O-29C7-4 Background/Aims: Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element for humans and animals. However, excess intake of Mn can lead to neurotoxicity. Few studies have investigated about the effects of excess intake Mn on the human fetus. In the present study, we examined whether exposure high levels of Mn is associated with birth weight. Methods: We performed a study in a cohort of 326 mother-infant pairs in the Mother and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH), Korea. A questionnaire study on general characteristics, review medical records, and blood Mn analysis was done. We evaluated the effects of the exposure to Mn on the birth outcome by nonlinear regression and ANOVA. Results: We found a nonlinear relationship between maternal blood Mn and birth weight after adjusting for potential confounders. After categorizing blood Mn into 10 μg/L interval, birth weight increased with blood Mn levels up to 30–39 μg/L, then decreasing in birth weight was observed at higher levels. Conclusion: The findings of our study is low maternal blood Mn concentration during pregnancy was associated with lower birth weight with inverted u-shape dose-response relationship reflecting its essentiality.