P
ublished in advance on the site of the prestigious journal Nature Medicine, the American study of the team of Prof. Mary Beth Martin is the first in proof of a link between cadmium and cancer.The environmental contaminant mimics the effects of female sex hormones (estrogen) and could thus disrupt the reproductive systems of animals operating in contaminated environments.
Epidemiological studies have helped link the heavy metal to an increase in cancer hormone (whose development is directly linked to these hormones as breast cancer or prostate). But wishing to exceed these simple links statistics, the researchers wanted to verify these effects.
When exposed to low doses of cadmium, rats who underwent removal of the ovaries (and thus not subject to hormonal fluctuations) reported an increase in the density of the mammary gland and weight of the uterus, and a change of the endometrial lining. All these factors known to increase the risk of breast cancer.
In renewing the same experience with pregnant rats, their progeny have made a puberty and development of mammary glands early. Two parameters already linked to an increased risk of breast cancer by previous studies.
Surprised by cadmium affinity for estrogen receptors, the authors believe that their observations confirm a direct link between the metal and increased risk of breast cancer.
Already identified as carcinogenic compound and can damage the kidneys, cadmium is, in this study, damaging at doses below the standards used by the World Health Organization.
Ingestion of this metal is via food (or water contaminated fruit or vegetables grown in contaminated environments), but the strongest poisoning comes from smoking or more exceptionally professional activities involving welds or castings of metals.
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