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MyHealthNewsDaily
Ingesting higher levels of cadmium, a metal found in fertilizers, may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, a new study from Sweden suggests.
The results showed that postmenopausal women with a relatively high daily dietary cadmium intake had a 21 percent increased risk of breast cancer.
The major sources of cadmium in the diets of women in the study were foods that are generally healthy — whole grains and vegetables. These accounted for about 40 percent of the cadmium consumed.
The reason for the link may be that cadmium can cause the same effects in the body as the female hormone estrogen, the researchers said. Estrogen fuels the development of some breast cancers.
Whole grains and vegetables generally protect against cancer, and people should not avoid these foods because of this study, said study researcher Agneta Åkesson, associate professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.
The study showed an association, not a cause-and-effect link, in one population of women, and further work is needed to confirm the findings.
"Though no single observational study can be considered conclusive, this very large, prospective study of [cadmium] exposure and post-menopausal breast cancer makes an important contribution to what is a fairly sparse literature considering this very important topic," said Michael Bloom, a professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Albany, who was not involved in the study.
Cause for concern?
"It has been known for some time that cadmium is toxic and, in certain forms, carcinogenic," said study researcher Bettina Julin, of the Karolinska Institute of Environmental Medicine.
In the study, the researchers collected data from more than 55,000 women in Sweden for 12 years. The women kept a daily log of everything they ate. The researchers estimated how much cadmium the women's consumed based on the country's data on the amount of cadmium in foods, and divided the women into three equally-sized groups based on their intake.
Over the course of the study, there were 2,112 breast cancer cases among the women: 677 in the women in the lowest cadmium intake group, and 744 in the women in the highest cadmium intake group. Because women's risk of breast cancer rises with age, the researchers took the women's ages into account when calculated the increased risk seen in the high intake group.
The researchers said they are concerned that cadmium is found in foods we consider healthy. The metal is well-absorbed by farmed plants, and fertilizers used to help grow our fruits, vegetables and grains contain cadmium.
The researchers noted that whole grains and vegetables, which were found to contain the most cadmium, have many beneficial nutrients — some that likely counteract the negative effects of the toxic metal.
And the data showed that women who ate the most whole-grain foods and vegetables, even when these foods contained cadmium, were less likely to develop the cancer than women who ingested high levels of cadmium through other types of food.
The highest risk of breast cancer was found among women who had a high cadmium intake, but ate few whole grains and vegetables.
Potatoes, root vegetables such as carrots, and cereal grains can accumulate cadmium from fertilizer and environmental deposits. Other types of food known to have a higher cadmium content include shellfish, organ meats and sunflower seeds.
Balancing act
"A major limitation of such a large-scale study is the exposure assessment," said Alfred Bernard, of the department of medicine at Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. In other words, the researchers estimated cadmium intake, and that may not accurately reflect the actual amount consumed or the absorbed by the body.
Still, because of the high incidence of breast cancer, compared with other types of cancers among women, "even a modest increase in risk will stimulate a substantial public health concern," Bloom said.
Some researchers aware of the link of cadmium and cancer are taking reasonable precautions. "I have reduced my consumption of sunflower seeds considerably," Carolyn Gallagher, of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Stony Brook University in New York, told MyHealthNewsDaily. Sunflower seeds have a relatively high level of cadmium.
Getting enough iron may also reduce the body's uptake of dietary cadmium, which may help reduce risk, Gallagher said.
The findings are published today (March 15) in the journal Cancer Research.
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Leave a Comment:
My wife is battling breast cancer right now. You mean that the fertilizer that grows the vegtables that she was supposed to be eating to keep her healthy may have actually contributed to her illness?
I give up.
What about organic veggies? Does cadmium come mostly from artificial fertilizers? What about manure? How much of it is naturally in the soil anyway?
Macrobiotics and organics. I was able to cleanse my body. Chelation therapy helps eliminate heavy metals. These helped me. Peace.
Hey, If you use manure that came from a dairy it could have high amounts of cadmium if that dairy uses copper sulfate. Some copper sulfates have high amounts of cadmium. Also, arsenic. Copper sulfate is used to disinfect the hoofs of dairy cows and prevent infection in them. It gets into the waste stream and then gets put on the fields. Even in a so called "organic" dairy. Blows my mind that they call it "organic"!
Difficult to be an organic farm when neighboring farms bathe in chemicals. Water run off knows no boundaries. Truly organic produce, for health reasons, can be grown in backyards on growing tables, composts, earth worms, chicken bedding, etc. If we are really concerned with health no measure or effort can be spared.
More CO2. Plants grow stronger and faster with more CO2. Plants are more drought tolerant and more water efficient with more CO2. Greenhouses raise CO2 levels to 1500 ppm. The Earth's atmospheric CO2 is around 400 ppm.
More CO2 would mean less fertilizer would be needed. That would lead to less cadmium in foods, less fertilizer runoff causing algae blooms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Drive your car. Plants will love you.
That's the stupidest thing I ever heard, economykiller.
Well, actually, it's the second time I've heard it. Paul Harvey made the same claim on his radio show a few years ago.
Straight from the Koch brothers' Heritage Foundation propaganda machine to "fact" - what a bunch of crap.
utter bull@!$%#. The only way plants will grow more with increasing C02 levels is if they have MORE fertilizer. Do you know how much more fertilizer is used in greenhouses to actually take advantage of the increased C02?? No, I didn't think so. You, economykiller, are a ignoramus.
To a point, your logic holds good....
Beyond that, nothing would grow as "more CO2 would mean more heat."
History suggests that lands like Wyoming gotten to their barren state (from Amazon like lush green state) just because of it.
I breathe on mine. They are addicted now. No daily fix, they wilt. And to really make them happy I use breath mints
economy killer, so you are a plant biologist, climate scientist, ecologist and oncologist all in one? More like a green toothed inbred who's been drinking Glenn Beck's kool aid. what a nimrod
more proof that our food is what is killing us.....we can't win anymore.
I hate that this article is only about the recent study. Doing a little research, I found cadmium is every where in the air, (especially around smokers), the water and soil. It is naturally occuring in phosphorus rock and therefore can leach into the water or soil quite naturally. It occurs in anything with phosphorus in it, so either chemical or manure based fertilizers will have it. And it can not be removed from the phosphorus. Some crops will retain higher levels of cadmium than others, some meats as well. This is probably one thing that's been around for decades or maybe even centuries and some researcher just asked himself a question and started this study. I'd say there is a lot more work to be done before this can be viewed as something to be concerned about.
Excellent point . Phosphorus in fertilizers is used to make bigger and better flowers, roots and fruit. Nitrogen is used for leaves
Isn't it also radioactive in isotope form. seems I remember reading tobacco had an affinity for it, causing a radiation dose when smoked
No facts here just maybe!
So cadmium is associated with breast cancer, whether ingested from vegetables and grains or from other foods, and vegetables and grains may offer some protection. The statement above is designed to prevent the public from panicking about consumption of vegetables and grains while ignoring the obvious question, which relates to breast cancer and very low cadmium consumption. I could only guess why that question was ignored.
The article does not mention what percentage of women ate the "organic" stuff and weather or not the study took any of that into account.
Cadium amount was based on the existing data base. If this data base is similar to other data bases, that have values collected ten, twenty, thirty, or even sixty years ago, then their research is useless. We use nutrient data for our diets that is older than most of us. If you actually do some analysis, you will find that all the "good" things are decreasing extremely fast, in the last ten years, and the "bad" things are increasing even faster. If you are concerned about your diet, what you eat, and what it contains. then start sending stuff off to the lab.
Face it - you are being poisoned by greedy corporate interests. Then they make a fortune treating you with their toxic drugs.
Cadmium is toxic. It causes cancer. That much has been known since the early 1960's. Allowing the use of a known toxic chemical in fertilizer for food crops is inexcusable in any country.
It isn't that it is allowed in fertilizers, but it will be found in soils which contain phosphates, so a minute amount of cadium phosphate may be found along with the calcium phosphate, etc., that would be found in most fertilizers. And if it is in the soil, then the root plants will absorb it from the soil, much like they will absorb other minerals depending upon the rocks that made the soils.
From what I have been able to find out on line, generally speaking, those who have a very good intake of magnesium have a much lower probability of developing most forms of cancer. (Keep in mind that some forms of magnesium have a much higher absorption rate in the human body than others.) - RC
How many millograms per day would you suggest and from what source?
MrKnowItAll-
People can often get themselves into trouble when they start taking supplements. Many of the normal ranges for vitamins and electrolytes are narrow and can easily be exceeded from taking supplements. Furthermore, most people are unaware how dangerous that can sometimes be (too much potassium for example, can cause cardiac problems).
Healthy individuals who eat right get all of the nutrients their body needs from fruits and vegetables. A good rule to follow is to eat "5 colors" a day.
Smarty_Pants
Thanks for the concern! Nice to see someone with compassion. However, I am a research scientist and have spent the past forty years performing research on a wide variety of topics. If you read my earlier post and others from around the site, you would see that I have plenty to say. Your comment of how dangerous substances can be is very true. The relationship of minerals, macro and micro, to each other and to vitamins is the most misunderstood science. Yet this relationship drives our very existence. Thanks again.
Food, air and water have contributed to mans demise in one way or another for all time. Good luck with that living forever crap.
Someone should tell these people they found the gene that causes breast cancer. Now, go back and retest the women eliminating all with the gene and see what's left.
As a chemist it never ceases to amaze that lay people can state such utter bs with total authority. Sure Cd is very toxic but why do you all embellish it with sheer speculation. I would never dream of trying to tell a geologist, musician, dentist, automechanic, etc what to do but you all dont hesitate to chime in on chemistry. You have no idea what you're talking about so the more you talk the worse you sound.
Go play on your iPhone and think you understand science and technology.
Bob in LG
You are a chemist by going to school, learning from book that someone else wrote, and repeating what others have already said and done. Everyone has an opinion about something and they get their information from one or two sources. We as professionals should educate those we come in contact with, whether it be on a website or in public. I could blast you with the fifteen programs that I have developed , such as the cause of Autism, cure of brucellosis in the Greater Yellowstone Area, prevention of broken legs in race horses, immunity deficeincies from vaccines, construction technology to withstand tornados, etc. What would be the point? Educate and participate and keep the ego in check!
Well put!
Well, that pretty much finishes all food off. Even whole grain and veggies are now bad for you in a natural state. Guess that leaves me no choice to become a Breatharian. I wonder what's wrong with blueberries
Shall we can them Fruitarians from now on instead of vegetarians now that vegetables and grains are out?
My sister died of aggressive breast cancer after chemotherapy and an operation did not work, It makes me angry to read that a Harvard study found that an active ingredient in marijuana suppressed cancer tumor growth, and yet no such therapy was even suggested. Perhaps if she had ingested moderate amounts by simply eating it, she might be alive today. What harm could there have been to try since all else failed and it is a rather innocuous, non poisonous substance compared, say, to CHEMOTHERAPY!
I am not the brightest bulb in the box but I have something on my mind that I cannot let go. You know those medical patches, the ones you can wear on your skin and the medicine gets absorbed through the skin? Well if that is the case what happens when you put on deodorant? Where does that end up? Does it enter your blood stream and course through your body? What about all those skin creams? What about the perfumes and after shaves? It seems to me that all of these concoctions end up inside your body whether you want it to or not. What effect does it have on the body and do we know that the chemicals are not the cause of a lot of cancers? I was simply thinking of this because I was thinking of using the patch to stop smoking and wondered would I be giving up one cancer causing agent for another.
So out of 55,000 woemen 2,200 got Cancer...Not sure but that appears to about the Norm for the general population as a whole and we know that.. What bothered me is that the Researchers are claiming these results based on an "estimated" the amount of Cadmium in the woemens diets and had no real rock solid individual chemical test results.....
So it appears to me that if you eat the diet they list as in whole grains and Vegetables out of 55,000 woemen it can be expected that 2,200 of them get Cancer...Ok, so what is the real news here? That the Researchers figured out how to get Science Research Grant money without doing any real and meaningful research and bascially are "guessing" or estimating their results which may or may not be the average number of Cancer occuring in the general population anyway? That is what I am reading,,can anyone make a better sense of what they did and their results..Please enlighten me....Cause I want to do an Earth Worm estimation project that could get me at least a $5,000,000 research grant....and a new Bass boat and Land Rover to pull it...
eddie, You are now a member of the scientific community. However, if you plan to receive funding for ANY research, good luck! The money for research is controlled by government agencies, non profit organizations, and foundations that have boards and individuals with an agenda. Most funding is provided to the same entities doing the same research looking for a different outcome. Research dollars are closely tied to marketable ideas since the Dole-Bayh Act of 1981. So if you have an idea with a multibillion dollar potential, you are in. If you have made a career from using research dollars such as the brucellosis at Yellowstone, you are in. If you are interested in solving problems or providing help to people, like the cause of Autism, no chance. There is no money in prevention and cures! The money is in diagnosis, treatment, and long term care!
Next thing you know they will be telling us that too much sex causes breast cancer. Wasn't that long ago, eating eggs caused problems, before that, the red coloring of bacon caused something. Gee guess what, something always causes something.
Some people never get breast cancer, others do. Same as lung cancer, some get it who don't smoke, some get it from smoking, and some smokers never get it. Whats a person to do?
Have more sex. But don't tell Santorum
al de, if I did that I wouldn't tell anyone. But I also don't want to wear it out either.
Dear Friends:
How many other diseases both in men and woman would result or could from consumption of sodas? Are there any that would be more likely to result in disease than others? What about in combinations with food?
Exercise? Infants! New born?
Please provide websites to reference to support your comments and how do they stop or change such deep ingrain desires for soda and other.
All over the world and in all languages. Including our Sovereignty and Native Americans.
Share Cheryl Share Alll Deans of Schools .
We have a new fear . . . and its name is CADMIUM! Sacrifice a virgin to it! Oh yeah, . . . right.
Holy @!$%#..everything screws us. Hope organic is OK but I am hearing not