Exposure To Metals Was Associated With Progression Of Subclinical Atherosclerosis, Study Finds

MedPage Today (9/18, Lou) reports, “Exposure to metals, essential or not, was associated with the progression of subclinical atherosclerosis, according to longitudinal data from a geographically diverse cohort.” Investigators found that “study participants with the highest urinary metal levels tended to also have the highest coronary artery calcium (CAC).” HealthDay (9/18, Mundell) reports that the investigators found that “for cadmium, people placing in the highest one-quarter had levels of artery calcification that was 75% higher over the 10-year study period compared to those in the lowest quartile.” Meanwhile, “for urinary tungsten, uranium and cobalt, those numbers were 45%, 39%, and 47% higher, respectively.” The data also indicated that individuals “with the highest urinary levels of copper and zinc had calcification levels that were 33% and 57% higher, respectively, than those with the lowest levels.” The findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.