Are environmental pollutants hurting your heart health? New study reveals the alarming connection

Published on: Sep 26, 2024, 16:59:59 IST

By Adrija Dey

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Environmental metals are a health hazard for heart health. (Shutterstock)

Research from Columbia University highlights the connection between environmental metal exposure and cardiovascular diseases, particularly atherosclerosis.

A study from Columbia University, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, revealed the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases from exposure to environmental metals. The metal exposure is responsible for the build-up of calcium in the coronary arteries, a condition known as atherosclerosis, which narrows arterial walls and reduces blood flow, potentially leading to serious heart conditions. This can further cause stroke, cardiac arrest, and many other such conditions. Environmental pollutants pose a significant health hazard, but as per the researchers, the link of the metals with coronary artery calcification is relatively unknown.

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Coronary artery calcification

Upon several urinary investigations of the metal content of the study participants, a strong correlation was found between metal exposure and an increased buildup of coronary calcium, which is an indicator of atherosclerosis. Higher levels of non-essential metals in the body like cadmium, tungsten, and uranium were strongly linked with coronary artery calcification over 10 years. Participants, who had high cadmium levels in their body had coronary calcium levels 51% higher at baseline and 75% higher over the decade.

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Pollution is a great risk to heart health

It suggested that pollution is a great risk to heart health. The metal-induced cardiovascular issues are on the rise because of the widespread metal contamination from various agricultural and industrial activities including the use of fertilizers, battery manufacturing, oil production, welding, mining, and nuclear energy generation. One of the other sources of cadmium is tobacco smoke. The researchers urged the need to address the environment’s metal hazards as heavy metals are found even in everyday water. Heart disease is a global concern, and understanding how environmental metals further increase the risk of serious health conditions will help to formulate public health strategies.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any question about a medical condition.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adrija Dey
Adrija Dey’s proclivity for observation fuels her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she crafts compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bones, carried by human vessels and shaped through everyday endeavours. It is the small stories we live and share that make us human. After all, humans and their lores are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and uncovering them, for her, is akin to peeling an orange under a winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered yapping, where "too much information" is kind of the point. A graduate of Indraprastha College for Women, University of Delhi, and an alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her idle hours cocooned with herbal tea and a gripping thriller, scribbling inner monologues she loosely calls poetic pieces, often with her succulents in attendance. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one from her comfort-show holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. Dancing by herself to her peppy playlists, however, is an everyday ritual she swears by religiously.Read More

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