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Concentration of Potentially Toxic Elements in Vegetable Oils and Health Risk Assessment: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Abstract

The present study evaluates the concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs), including Pb, Cd, As, Fe, Zn, Cu, and Ni, in vegetable oils through a meta-analytic approach. The published studies in relation to the concentrations of PTEs in vegetable oils were retrieved from major international databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase followed by meta-analysis. Moreover, the health risk assessment was evaluated using total target hazard quotient (TTHQ) by a Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model. According to the results of 51 articles included among 958 retrieved studies, the concentrations of the PTEs were as follows: Cd ≈As (0.110 mg/kg) > Pb (0.086 mg/kg) in cottonseed, canola, and olive oil and Fe (12.964 mg/kg) > Zn (1.044 mg/kg) > Ni (0.893 mg/kg) > Cu (0.264 mg/kg) in cottonseed, olive, and soybean for trace elementals, respectively. Based on the continent type, the higher concentration of Cd, As, and Pb was related to PAHO (American region) and AFRO (African region), and the higher concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu, and Ni were observed in WPRO (Western Pacific Region), EMRO (Eastern Mediterranean Region), and AFRO. On the other hand, non-carcinogenic health risk assessment of the PTEs indicated that there was a different risk pattern in various countries, and the TTHQ level in adult groups was lower than 1. It can be concluded that the consumption of vegetable oils is safe and does not pose risk to the health of consumers.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the Deputy of Research and Technology, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences for their financial support in this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Elaheh Talebi Ghane

  2. Center of Excellence for Occupational Health, Research Center for Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Ali Poormohammadi

  3. Research Center for Health Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Salman Khazaei

  4. Nutrition Health Research Center, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran

    Fereshteh Mehri

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  1. Elaheh Talebi Ghane
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  2. Ali Poormohammadi
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  3. Salman Khazaei
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  4. Fereshteh Mehri
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Correspondence to Fereshteh Mehri.

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The research protocol was approved by the review committee of the Ethics Committee of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences.

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Highlights

• Fifty-one articles with 958 samples were included in our study.

• Concentration of PTEs in the various vegetable oils was analyzed based on type of oil and continent.

• Concentrations of Cd, As, and Pb in cottonseed, canola, and olive oil and Fe, Zn, Ni, and Cu in cottonseed, olive, and soybean oil were higher than other metals, respectively.

• The assessment of non-carcinogenic risk indicated that risk pattern was different in various countries.

• Consumption of vegetable oils in all countries except Italy and Cyprus had no significant risk for adult consumers.

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Ghane, E.T., Poormohammadi, A., Khazaei, S. et al. Concentration of Potentially Toxic Elements in Vegetable Oils and Health Risk Assessment: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 437–446 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02645-x

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