George Koller on tue 15 jul 03
pregnant women
Edouard,
i just searched google for the original Georgetown report (in english) =
and found it. find below. it includes specific=20
information for pregnant women. it is a very recent report of =
information that the researchers found suprising.
my understanding is that even small exposure to cadmium (or nickel) by a =
pregnant women could cause a female=20
child to have a significantly increased chances of breast cancer. the =
german translation i first stumbled upon first
must have been taken from a larger report because it goes into greater =
specifics:
1.)......the researchers were suprised to determine that the changes =
occur (in the breasts) already at 5 to 10 microgramm per kilogram of =
body weight.
(=DCberrascht stellten die Forscher fest, dass die Ver=E4nderungen =
bereits bei Dosen von f=FCnf bis zehn Mikrogramm pro Kilo =
K=F6rpergewicht auftraten. )
2.)and the german report mentions nickel as a very causing similiar =
effects to cadmium
(Der gleiche Effekt war schon durch andere Schwermetalle, darunter auch =
Nickel, nachgewiesen worden. )
Here is a link to the Original English article. =20
note: It includes an e-mail address for questions. =20
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2003-07/gumc-cea071003.php
the full report follows,
Public release date: 13-Jul-2003
Cadmium exposure and risk of breast cancer: Is there a relationship?
Washington, D.C. - For the first time, there is scientific evidence that =
exposure to cadmium, a naturally occurring metal, may be a direct risk =
factor for developing breast cancer in a woman and her unborn baby.=20
Published in today's online version of Nature Medicine, researchers at =
the Lombardi Cancer Center at Georgetown University studied cadmium and =
its uncanny ability to mimic estrogen's effects on the body. When =
exposed to low doses of cadmium, female rats show an increase in mammary =
gland density and uterine weight, and changes in the endometrial lining, =
all telltale developments in the early onset of breast cancer.=20
Additionally, when pregnant rats were exposed to the same low dose, =
their female offspring experienced earlier onset of puberty and mammary =
gland development. Early onset of puberty can increase a woman's chance =
for getting cancer by fifty percent.=20
"We never expected to see this strong a relationship, given how =
different the cadmium and estrogen compounds are," said Mary Beth =
Martin, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at Georgetown University =
Medical Center. "Cadmium's ability to functionally mimic estrogen and =
its affect on cell growth is quite remarkable. What we saw suggests a =
direct link between low dose cadmium exposure and increased risk for =
breast cancer."=20
Estrogens are a family of steroidal hormones that are synthesized in a =
variety of tissues but are primarily produced in the ovaries during =
reproductive years. One of the main functions of estrogens is to promote =
the growth and differentiation of the sexual organs and other tissues =
related to reproduction. The biological effects of estrogens are =
mediated by estrogen receptors alpha and beta; molecules that bind to =
and activate these receptors may pose health risks.=20
In this study, Martin and her colleagues exposed ovariectomized rats to =
levels of cadmium comparable to the provisional tolerable weekly dietary =
intake recommended by the World Health Organization. The cadmium bound =
to and activated estrogen receptors, mimicking potentially dangerous =
estrogenic activity.=20
Cadmium is a naturally occurring metal, found in soil, rocks, and water. =
It has well known carcinogenic effects, with documented links between =
cadmium exposure and lung cancer, lung disease, and kidney damage. =
Additional studies have suggested a link to prostate cancer. People are =
exposed to cadmium by eating food grown in contaminated soil or fish =
from tainted water, but more extreme exposure comes from smoking or =
interaction with smelting, welding or shipbuilding. Smoking doubles the =
average daily intake of cadmium.=20
"There is great concern about what is an acceptable level of =
environmental exposure to certain carcinogens, and how do those =
exposures affect our risk for getting cancer," said Martin. "The more we =
learn about how this works in rats and eventually people, the better =
lifestyle choices women can make."=20
###
The Lombardi Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center =
and Georgetown University Hospital, seeks to improve the diagnosis, =
treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic and =
clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach, and =
the training of cancer specialists of the future. Lombardi is one of =
only 39 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the =
National Cancer Institute, and the only one in the Washington DC area. =
For more information, go to http://www.georgetown.edu/gumc.=20
| |
|
