ArticleBMC public health2026
Association between blood lead levels and body composition parameters in middle-aged pre- and postmenopausal women.
Article in BMC public health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLead (Pb) exposure is a global health concern, with recognized adverse effects on skeletal health. However, its relationship with body composition across menopausal stages remains unclear. This study aimed to examine the associations between blood lead levels (BLL) and key body composition parameters-lumbar bone mineral density (BMD), appendicular lean mass index (ALMI), and appendicular fat mass index (AFMI)-in middle-aged women.
methodsIn this cross-sectional study, we analysed data from 1,522 women aged 40-59 years who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2011-2018. We employed weighted multivariable linear regression models to examine the associations between log-transformed BLL (LnBLL) and body composition parameters, adjusting for potential confounders.
resultsPostmenopausal women exhibited significantly higher BLL compared to premenopausal women, along with lower lumbar BMD and ALMI. LnBLL was significantly and inversely associated with lumbar BMD (β = -0.02; 95% CI: -0.03 to -0.01), ALMI (β = -0.39; 95% CI: -0.49 to -0.29), and AFMI (β = -0.61; 95% CI: -0.78 to -0.45). Subgroup analyses revealed that the inverse association between LnBLL and lumbar BMD was statistically significant in premenopausal women (β = -0.03; 95% CI: -0.05 to -0.01), but not in postmenopausal women (β = -0.01; 95% CI: -0.03 to 0.01). In contrast, LnBLL exhibited stronger inverse associations with both ALMI and AFMI among postmenopausal women (ALMI: β = -0.46; 95% CI: -0.60 to -0.32; AFMI: β = -0.65; 95% CI: -0.87 to -0.43).
conclusionsOur findings show complex, menopause-dependent relationships between BLL and body composition parameters in middle-aged women. These results highlight the critical importance of considering menopausal status in future Pb toxicity studies.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.