• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Saturday, August 23, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Health

MSU study links cadmium levels in women’s urine to endometriosis

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
July 24, 2023
in Health
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Women with a history of endometriosis had higher concentrations of cadmium in their urine compared to those without that diagnosis, according to a Michigan State University study that suggests the toxic metal could be linked to the development of endometriosis. 

Kristen Upson, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the MSU College of Human Medicine

Credit: Courtesy photo by Thomas van ‘t Erve.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Women with a history of endometriosis had higher concentrations of cadmium in their urine compared to those without that diagnosis, according to a Michigan State University study that suggests the toxic metal could be linked to the development of endometriosis. 

Affecting one in 10 reproductive-age women, endometriosis is a gynecologic condition in which tissue that looks like the lining of the uterus, or womb, appears outside the uterus. Those with endometriosis can experience chronic, painful and debilitating symptoms, which can interfere with all aspects of life, including daily activity, work productivity, school performance and personal relationships.  

“Despite the adverse impact of endometriosis on quality of life, it remains an understudied condition,” said Kristen Upson, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the MSU College of Human Medicine and senior author of the study.  

 “By looking at environmental risk factors such as metal cadmium, we are moving the needle closer to understanding risk factors for this condition,” added the study’s first author, Mandy Hall, a data analyst in the MSU Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 

Cadmium is a toxic metal and a “metalloestrogen,” meaning it can act like the hormone estrogen. In the U.S., people are commonly exposed to cadmium by breathing in cigarette smoke and eating contaminated food like spinach and lettuce. 

While this is not the first study exploring a potential link between cadmium and endometriosis, the researchers said it’s the largest study to look at cadmium measured in urine, which reflects long-term exposure between 10 and 30 years. 

For their study, researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or NHANES, a national study representative of the U.S. population between 1999 and 2006. Out of the survey’s more than 41,000 participants, the researchers limited their study population to those 20 to 54 years of age with information on endometriosis diagnosis. 

The researchers then analyzed the data, dividing the cadmium levels into four classes, or quartiles, with the first quartile being the lowest exposure and the fourth being the largest exposure. 

They found that participants in the second and third quartiles were twice as likely to have been diagnosed with endometriosis than those in the first quartile. The data also suggests a 60% increased prevalence of endometriosis based on urinary cadmium concentrations in the fourth quartile. 

“The findings are interesting given that cadmium can act like the hormone estrogen, and this hormone is central to the development of endometriosis,” Hall said. 

The researchers say further studies are needed to confirm their findings. Upson said this work is part of her larger research looking at everyday factors that may increase toxic metal exposure in women as well as the impact of toxic metals on gynecologic health. Hall plans to incorporate environmental factors in their ongoing research on endometriosis and other gynecologic conditions. 

The research was supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R00NR017191. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. 

  

### 

  

Michigan State University has been advancing the common good with uncommon will for more than 165 years. One of the world’s leading research universities, MSU pushes the boundaries of discovery to make a better, safer, healthier world for all while providing life-changing opportunities to a diverse and inclusive academic community through more than 400 programs of study in 17 degree-granting colleges. 

  

For MSU news on the Web, go to MSUToday. Follow MSU News on Twitter at twitter.com/MSUnews. 



Journal

Human Reproduction

DOI

10.1093/humrep/dead117

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

Urinary cadmium and endometriosis prevalence in a US nationally representative sample: results from NHANES 1999–2006

Article Publication Date

24-Jul-2023

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

Firsekibart Shown Safe in Phase 1 Study

Firsekibart Shown Safe in Phase 1 Study

August 23, 2025
blank

Skin Microbiome Changes in Multiple System Atrophy

August 23, 2025

DCTPP1 Controls Oxidative Stress Through AUF1 in Trophoblasts

August 23, 2025

New Insights into Exercise’s Molecular Benefits in Parkinson’s

August 23, 2025

POPULAR NEWS

  • blank

    Molecules in Focus: Capturing the Timeless Dance of Particles

    141 shares
    Share 56 Tweet 35
  • New Drug Formulation Transforms Intravenous Treatments into Rapid Injections

    114 shares
    Share 46 Tweet 29
  • Neuropsychiatric Risks Linked to COVID-19 Revealed

    81 shares
    Share 32 Tweet 20
  • Modified DASH Diet Reduces Blood Sugar Levels in Adults with Type 2 Diabetes, Clinical Trial Finds

    60 shares
    Share 24 Tweet 15

About

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Firsekibart Shown Safe in Phase 1 Study

New Lacewing Species Reveals Jurassic Diversity in China

Skin Microbiome Changes in Multiple System Atrophy

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.