Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal associated with adverse health effects, including kidney injury or disease. The aims of this study were to estimate dietary Cd exposure during childhood, and to evaluate the association of early-life dietary Cd with biomarkers of glomerular kidney function in 9-year-old Mexican children. Our study included 601 children from the Programming Research in Obesity, Growth, Environment and Social Stressors (PROGRESS) cohort with up to five follow-up food frequency questionnaires from 1 to 9 years of age; and 480 children with measures of serum creatinine, cystatin C, and blood nitrogen urea (BUN), as well as 9-year-old estimated glomerular filtration rate. Dietary Cd was estimated through food composition tables. Multiple linear regression models were used to analyze the association between 1 and 9 years, cumulative dietary Cd, and each kidney parameter. Dietary Cd exposure increased with age and exceeded the tolerable weekly intake (TWI = 2.5 µg/kg body weight) by 16–64% at all ages. Early-life dietary Cd exposure was above the TWI and we observed inverse associations between dietary Cd exposure and kidney function parameters. Additional studies are needed to assess kidney function trajectories through adolescence. Identifying preventable risk factors including environmental exposures in early life can contribute to decreasing the incidence of adult kidney disease.
Highlights
IntroductionCadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal found naturally in the environment that has been associated with adverse health effects, such as kidney failure, bone damage, cardiovascular disease, and cancer [1]
Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal found naturally in the environment that has been associated with adverse health effects, such as kidney failure, bone damage, cardiovascular disease, and cancer [1].Children’s exposure to Cd is of special concern as they may be more susceptible than adults to its toxic effects
A b adjusted for sex, age, z-score body mass index (BMI), physical activity, secondhand smoke, and socioeconomic status. In this longitudinal study of 601 Mexican children, we found that the estimated dietary Cd exposure increased with age, from ~4.4 μg/d at 1 year to 8.1 μg/d at 9 years
Summary
Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal found naturally in the environment that has been associated with adverse health effects, such as kidney failure, bone damage, cardiovascular disease, and cancer [1]. Children’s exposure to Cd is of special concern as they may be more susceptible than adults to its toxic effects. Children’s food and water intake per body weight is greater, and they have increased intestinal absorption and limited renal excretion [2]. Among the possible target organs of Cd, the kidney is one of the most sensitive organs, wherein Cd exposure is associated with tubular dysfunction, hypercalciuria, polyuria, tubulointerstitial nephritis, and low-molecular-weight proteinuria, which could lead to kidney failure in later stages [4,5,6]
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