2023-08-28 10:45:15
By 1993, when the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified cadmium as carcinogenic, several studies on this heavy metal revealed its danger to both animals and humans. However, despite its adverse effects, cadmium is still present in a significant way in various industrial settings.
Faced with this situation, finding a way to counteract it became the objective of a team of researchers from the National University of San Luis (UNSL) in Argentina, who found an unprecedented ally in soybeans.
“We knew that soy has antioxidant properties. Taking into account that cadmium has a mechanism of action that damages cells, generating oxidative stress (production of oxygen derivatives that induce cell malfunction), we began to evaluate what would happen if we carried out an experimental model of cadmium poisoning in rats, in which we only gave them a soy-based diet”, Silvina Álvarez, one of the authors of the work and a CONICET researcher, told Agencia CTyS-UNLaM.
In this way, they verified that, in animal models, soy acts as a protector of the central nervous system, preventing the metal from entering the cerebellar cells and damaging them, while in other organs its impact is also positive, although to a lesser extent. “In the lung, this structural failure produced by cadmium is almost completely reversed,” Álvarez said.
In this sense, he clarified that, although the study was carried out in animals, it could have a similar effect in humans: “Similar studies have been carried out on cadmium in China where there are a large number of people intoxicated and, in kidney work, it was possible to verify that the effects in animals and people are the same”.
For the UNSL researcher, taking into account the results of the work carried out, “increasing the consumption of soybeans would help to reduce the toxic effect of cadmium.” However, she also clarified that a diet based on the consumption of large amounts of soy could have a counterproductive effect on girls and adolescents. “We saw that in some of our rat models there is early maturation of the mammary gland accompanied by fibrosis, so it is important to be careful at those ages. Already in the adult stage it has no effect, ”she specified.
Research team members. (Photo: UNSL Institutional Press)
Smoking, a habit that is also dangerous for reproductive health
Cadmium is a metal found mainly in the earth’s crust. It is widely used in various industries, such as agriculture and paints, and can be in commonly used objects such as toners, photocopiers, and mainly cigarettes. This is because the tobacco plant has the ability to absorb large amounts of this metal.
“The plant has contact with cadmium from the phosphorus fertilizers that contain this chemical element. When they spray the plant, some falls on the plant and some falls on the ground. Therefore, yes or yes, he acquires it. And to this is added the fact that tobacco is characterized by storing it in its leaves, which are the ones that are later used to make cigarettes,” explained Álvarez, who has been studying the polluting effects of this metal for more than 20 years.
In this framework, he found a dangerous link between cigarette smoking and male reproduction. The UNSL researcher inquired about cadmium contamination in the prostate, a study that had no prior history. After carrying out experimental work in which high doses of cadmium were supplied to rats, she was able to verify that this chemical element altered the cells of the male organ.
“When you smoke, cadmium turns into cadmium oxide and it can go to the lungs or directly into the blood and once it’s there, it can go to any organ in the body. If we take into account that each cigarette has between 0.5 to 1 microgram of cadmium and that the prostate collaborates in the formation of semen, smoking could have negative repercussions on reproduction, ”he conjectured.
Finally, Álvarez remarked that another of the damages of this metal is that, over time, it accumulates in the body. According to a report prepared by the WHO, its biological half-life ranges from 16 to 33 years and it accumulates mainly in the kidney and lungs. For this reason, the researcher considered that it is “important to continue studying” the effects of cadmium. “Despite the years, this metal is still widely used so it is necessary to keep a close eye on it,” she warned. (Source: Marianela Ríos (CTyS Agency – UNLaM))
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