Summary
Cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2005-2018 (N = 10,012 adults aged 20 and older). Eight urinary metals were examined for associations with trouble sleeping. Antimony was not significantly associated with trouble sleeping overall (p for trend = 0.393 crude, 0.219 adjusted). In males at Q3, a marginal inverse association (OR = 0.79, 95% CI 0.65-0.97, p = 0.026) was observed; no significant associations in females. Antimony was not a dominant contributor in weighted quantile sum or restricted cubic spline analyses for sleep.
Key numbers
Urinary Sb (microg/g creatinine), NHANES 2005-2018, N = 10,012:
- Overall median: 0.05 microg/g creatinine (IQR 0.04-0.08)
- No-trouble-sleeping group: median 0.05 (0.04-0.08)
- Trouble-sleeping group: median 0.05 (0.03-0.06)
- Below-LOD values substituted as LOD/sqrt(2)
Association with trouble sleeping (adjusted model):
- Overall: not significant (p for trend = 0.219)
- Males Q3 vs. Q1: OR = 0.79 (95% CI 0.65-0.97) — marginal inverse, only quartile showing significance
- Females: no significant associations
- RCS nonlinearity test: not significant for Sb
Evidence Fitness
Strong occurrence evidence for NHANES urinary Sb reference distribution. Null result for the primary sleep endpoint is informative. Cross-sectional design cannot establish temporality; single urine measurement reflects recent exposure with high within-person variability.
Methods (brief)
NHANES 2005-2018, complex survey weights applied. Trouble sleeping assessed by self-report (single question). Urinary metals by ICP-MS. Multivariable logistic regression adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, poverty-income ratio, BMI, smoking. Restricted cubic spline and WQS analyses also conducted.
Implications
- Certification: urinary Sb in US adults clusters around 0.05 microg/g creatinine; no significant sleep-trouble association in this large nationally representative sample.
- Courses: illustrates high within-person variability of urinary Sb and the limitation of single-sample biomonitoring.
- App: not applicable to food contamination profiles.
- Microbiome: not addressed.
Provenance notes
Open access, CC BY. File from PMC OA S3 (PMC13549585).
Update history
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