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Low Level of Serum Cadmium in Relation to Blood Pressures Among Japanese General Population

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Abstract

Hypertension (HT) is an important risk factor for mortality and morbidity. Previous studies showed that cadmium (Cd) was associated with increased blood pressures and the prevalence of HT. This study hypothesized that Cd, regardless of its level, may increase blood pressures/HT. The objective of this study was to examine the associations between a low level of serum Cd concentration and blood pressures/HT among a general population in the Iwaki area, Japan. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in the Aomori prefecture with 1144 volunteers aged over 19 years old, who were participants of the Iwaki health check-up in 2014. The study assessed questionnaire survey, body composition, and serum Cd concentrations. Median serum Cd concentration was 0.06 ng/mL (interquartile range 0.05–0.08 ng/mL) among our study population. Compared to the lowest quintile of serum Cd concentration group, the highest quintile of serum Cd concentration group had 4.9 mmHg higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.53–8.31, p < 0.01) and 2.4 mmHg higher diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (95% CI 0.36–4.34, p < 0.05), compared to the lowest quintile group. Similarly, the highest quintile of serum Cd concentration group had 1.7 times higher prevalence of HT (95% CI 1.10–2.51, p < 0.05) than the lowest quintile group. This study identified that higher serum Cd concentration was significantly, positively, associated with SBP and DBP and HT prevalence. This study provided evidence for the associations between environmental exposure to Cd and blood pressures/HT which should be considered for future preventive measures.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank all the participants of the Iwaki Health check-up 2014. We also acknowledge the staff of the Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, for their advice and technical inputs in this study.

Funding

The study was funded by the Japan Science and Technology Agency, Center of Innovation Program, Hirosaki (JPMJCE1302).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan

    Masaya Kaneda

  2. Department of Mibyo Science, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, 5 Zaifu, Hirosaki city, Aomori Prefecture, 036-8562, Japan

    Kyi Mar Wai, Shigeyuki Nakaji & Kazushige Ihara

  3. Department of Human Ecology, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Kyi Mar Wai

  4. Department of Diet and Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan

    Akira Kanda & Masataka Ando

  5. Center of Innovation, Research Initiatives Organization, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan

    Koichi Murashita, Shigeyuki Nakaji & Kazushige Ihara

  6. Department of Social Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan

    Shigeyuki Nakaji & Kazushige Ihara

Authors
  1. Masaya Kaneda
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  2. Kyi Mar Wai
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  3. Akira Kanda
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  4. Masataka Ando
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  5. Koichi Murashita
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  6. Shigeyuki Nakaji
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  7. Kazushige Ihara
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Contributions

Masaya Kaneda, Kyi Mar Wai, Akira Kanda, and Kazushige Ihara designed the study. Masaya Kaneda and Kyi Mar Wai analyzed the data. Shigeyuki Nakaji, Kazushige Ihara, Koichi Murashita, and Masataka Ando involved in project management. Shigeyuki Nakaji and Koichi Murashita acquired the funding. Masaya Kaneda and Kyi Mar Wai drafted the manuscript. All the authors critically reviewed the manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyi Mar Wai.

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Ethics Approval

The study was approved by the research ethics committee of the Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki University (No. 2014-014).

Consent to Participate

All the subjects gave written informed consent before their participation.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

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Kaneda, M., Wai, K.M., Kanda, A. et al. Low Level of Serum Cadmium in Relation to Blood Pressures Among Japanese General Population. Biol Trace Elem Res 200, 67–75 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02648-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-021-02648-8

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