Environmental heavy metals and cardiovascular diseases: Status and future direction
10.1016/j.cdtm.2020.02.005
- VernacularTitle:Environmental heavy metals and cardiovascular diseases: Status and future direction
- Author:
Ai-Min YANG
1
;
Kenneth LO
;
Tong-Zhang ZHENG
;
Jing-Li YANG
;
Ya-Na BAI
;
Ying-Qing FENG
;
Ning CHENG
;
Si-Min LIU
Author Information
1. Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; Centre for Global Cardiometabolic Health, Department of Epidemiology, Surgery, and Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA; Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Brown University, Providence, RI 02903, USA
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Heavy metal;
Cardiovascular disease;
Hypertension;
Stroke;
Coronary heart disease
- From:
Chronic Diseases and Translational Medicine
2020;06(4):251-259
- CountryChina
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and environmental degradation are leading global health problems of our time. Recent studies have linked exposure to heavy metals to the risks of CVD and diabetes, particularly in populations from low- and middle-income countries, where concomitant rapid development occurs. In this review, we 1) assessed the totality, quantity, and consistency of the available epidemiological studies, linking heavy metal exposures to the risk of CVD (including stroke and coronary heart disease); 2) discussed the potential biological mechanisms underlying some tantalizing observations in humans; and 3) identified gaps in our knowledge base that must be investigated in future work. An accumulating body of evidence from both experimental and obser- vational studies implicates exposure to heavy metals, in a dose-response manner, in the increased risk of CVD. The limitations of most existing studies include insufficient statistical power, lack of comprehensive assessment of exposure, and cross-sectional design. Given the widespread exposure to heavy metals, an urgent need has emerged to investigate these putative associations of environmental exposures, either independently or jointly, with incident CVD outcomes prospectively in well-characterized cohorts of diverse populations, and to determine potential strategies to prevent and control the impacts of heavy metal exposure on the cardiometabolic health outcomes of individuals and populations.
