Association Between Exposure to Cadmium and Blood Pressure in Japanese Peoples

The authors studied the effects of environmental cadmium exposure on blood pressure (BP). Subjects 1,140 men and 1,713 women, aged ≥ 50 yr lived in three areas of Japan considered “unpolluted” by cadmium. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate relationships between hypertension/nonhypertension and cadmium concentrations in blood (B-Cd) or urine (U-Cd). Age, body mass index, drinking and smoking habits, and blood and urine chemistry data were incorporated into the model. Odds ratios for hypertension were significantly less than 1 in either gender when U-Cd was the indicator of cadmium exposure and hypertension was defined as systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg. The results suggest a significant negative association between cadmium exposure and BP in inhabitants in Japan.