[자생한방병원] Cadmium raises the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women more than three times

▲ A study showing that cadmium increases the risk of osteoporosis in menopausal women is drawing attention. The picture shows a middle-aged woman complaining of pain due to a musculoskeletal disorder. <사진 제공=자생한방병원>

In our lives, we are exposed to harmful substances without our knowledge. Among them, a representative harmful substance is cadmium. Cadmium accumulates in our body through smoking or food. In particular, it is difficult to avoid exposure to cadmium in everyday life because it is accumulated through fine dust. Above all, when cadmium accumulates in the body, it can cause problems with kidney function, parathyroid hormone, and vitamin D metabolism, which are involved in bone formation.

Therefore, in menopausal women with low bone density, efforts are required to prevent cadmium exposure. Bone mineral density reaches its peak around age 35 and gradually decreases. In women, bone mineral density decreases very rapidly as menopause occurs around the age of 50. For this reason, studies on the relationship between blood cadmium in the blood and bone mineral density in menopausal women are being actively conducted abroad, but sufficient research has not been conducted in Korea.

Jaseng Oriental Medical Hospital analyzed the effect of cadmium in the blood of Korean menopausal women on osteoporosis and osteopenia by a research team of Korean medicine doctor Eun-san Kim (Director Inhyuk Ha) of the Spine and Joint Research Institute. ), it was revealed on the 25th that it was up to 3.63 times larger. The paper was published in the January 2021 issue of’Archives of Osteoporosis (IF=2.017)’, an SCI(E) level international academic journal.

▲ Korean medicine doctor Eun-san Kim, Spine and Joint Research Institute, Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital

For the study, the research team selected 1031 menopausal women aged 50 years or older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey (2008-2011) as subjects for the study. To confirm their diagnosis of osteoporosis and osteopenia, the’T-score’ was used, which is based on the difference between the average BMD of healthy young adults. If the T-score is less than -2.5, it is defined as osteoporosis, and if it is between -2.5 and -1.0, it is defined as osteopenia.

Blood cadmium was tested by directly extracting the patient’s blood, and the concentration was divided into quartiles. ▲The lowest level is divided into 1st quartile ▲low level 2nd quartile ▲highest level 3rd quartile ▲highest level 4th quartile.

The research team calculated the odds ratio by performing Multinomial Logistic Regression to confirm the relationship between blood cadmium and osteoporosis. The odds ratio value is used to verify the degree to which the difference in probability of occurrence of a specific event is significant when comparing groups. In this study, the higher the odds ratio, the greater the risk of bone mineral density disease.

As a result of the analysis, when the blood cadmium concentration was in the third quartile, the risk of bone mineral density disease was greatest. The risk of osteoporosis was 3.63 times (OR=3.63) higher. The risk of osteopenia increased by 3.22 times (OR=3.22). However, when cadmium in the blood was in the quartile, the risk of bone mineral density disease was lowered, which seems to be because the study subjects in the quartile took osteoporosis drugs.

When all patients taking osteoporosis drugs were included as osteoporosis patients, the difference in odds ratio between the third and fourth quartiles decreased. Based on the results of the study, the researchers found that cadmium increased the risk of bone mineral density in menopausal women.

“Through this study, we have confirmed that there is a relationship between blood cadmium levels and osteoporosis,” said Eunsan Kim of Jaseng Oriental Medicine Hospital. I can see it.” [로컬세계 조원익 기자]

▲ The research paper published in the January 2021 issue of’Archives of Osteoporosis’ “Association between blood cadmium levels and the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis in Korean post-menopausal women」

[저작권자ⓒ 로컬(LOCAL)세계. 무단전재-재배포 금지]