Research progress on cadmium exposure and metabolic diseases
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Graphical Abstract
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Abstract
As a common environmental pollutant, cadmium is classified as a group I carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Because cadmium and its compounds are difficult to be degraded, the level of cadmium in the environment can increase steadily. Cadmium in the environment can enter the human body through respiratory tract, digestive tract, or skin contact. It can cause damage to different systems and organs of the body, especially the endocrine and metabolic system, in a way of repeated action at a low concentration and for a long time. Cadmium exposure can damage the hypothalamus-pituitary axis regulation system, cause changes in secretion patterns and levels of various hormones such as growth hormone and adrenocorticotropic hormone, and lead to disorders in endocrine and metabolic system. In this paper, the sources, pathways, and biomarkers of cadmium exposure in human population were reviewed. The effects of cadmium exposure on metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome were illustrated based on evidence from epidemiological and experimental studies. The article concluded that environmental cadmium pollution is an important risk factor for metabolic diseases.
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