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Cadmium pollutant may increase osteoporosis prevalence
Increasing exposure to environmental cadmium may increase the risk for osteoporosis in adults, according to study findings published in The Journal of Bone and Mineral Research.
Yang Xinfen, PhD, professor of medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Southern Medical University and Guangdong Provincial CDC in China, evaluated data from 1,116 adults (45.8% men) aged 40 to 79 years from two areas in southern China to determine the effect of environmental cadmium exposure through diet on the risk for osteoporosis. Participants were from either a cadmium-polluted area (n = 832; median urinary cadmium concentration, 5.53 µg/g creatinine) or a non-cadmium-polluted area (n = 284; median urinary cadmium concentration, 1.7 µg/g creatinine).
Participants were further divided into four groups based on urinary cadmium concentrations: low (n = 2.79; < 2.05 µg/g creatinine), medium-low (n = 279; 2.05 to <3.97 µg/g creatinine), medium-high (n = 279; 3.97 to <8.89 µg/g creatinine) or high (n = 279; 8.89 µg/g creatinine).
Participants with higher urinary cadmium concentrations had lower mean bone mineral density and t score. The prevalence of osteoporosis was highest in participants with the highest urinary calcium concentrations (37.6%) followed by the medium-high group (29%), medium-low group (24%) and low group (10%). The risk for osteoporosis was increased in the medium-low group (OR = 3.07; 95% CI, 1.77-5.33), the medium-high group (OR = 4.63; 95% CI, 2.68-7.98) and high group (OR = 9.15; 95% CI, 5.26-15.94) compared with the low group.
Overall, the prevalence of osteoporosis was 9.7% to 55.6% in all participants, 9.3% to 47.8% in men and 10.2% to 55.6% in women. Urinary cadmium concentrations were positively correlated with the prevalence of osteoporosis (P < .0001).
“This novel study reported the health effects of chronic exposure to [cadmium]-contaminated paddy rice grain in a [cadmium]-polluted area located in southern China,” the researchers wrote. “In all subjects, the benchmark dose and benchmark dose lower bound were 1.14 (0.61) and 2.73 (1.83) µg/g creatinine, with benchmark response set at 5% and 10%, respectively. The benchmark dose of urinary [cadmium] was lower in women than in men. The results indicated that [cadmium] might act independently on bone. The findings support efforts to reduce environmental [cadmium] exposure and reassess the maximum permitted level for foods that are naturally enriched in [cadmium].” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.