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Urinary Cadmium Levels Linked to Cognitive Impairment in Whites

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 5, 2024.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 4, 2024 -- Among White, but not Black individuals, urinary cadmium (Cd) concentrations are associated with cognitive impairment, according to a study published online Sept. 4 in Neurology.

Liping Lu, M.D., Ph.D., from the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University in New York City, and colleagues examined the association between urinary Cd concentration and cognitive impairment in a subcohort of REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke study participants who were free of cognitive impairment or stroke at baseline.

The analyses included 2,172 participants with available data on urinary Cd concentration, including 195 cases of global cognitive impairment and 53 cases of domain-based cognitive impairment. In the full sample, the researchers observed no association between Cd and cognitive impairment, but a significant positive association of urinary Cd concentration with global cognitive impairment was seen among White but not Black participants. In the high versus low urinary Cd group, the odds of cognitive impairment for White participants were doubled (odds ratio, 2.07). The associations of interest were not materially modified by sex, age, region, smoking pack-years, alcohol consumption, or other related metals.

"These results need to be confirmed with studies that measure cadmium levels over time, include more people and follow people over a longer time, but there are many reasons to reduce exposure to cadmium, whether it's through implementing policies and regulations for air pollution and drinking water or people changing their behaviors by stopping smoking or being around cigarette smoke," Lu said in a statement.

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

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Posted September 2024

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