Discovered Another Factor That Increases the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Exposure to metals from environmental pollution may be associated with an increase in calcium buildup in the coronary arteries at a level comparable to traditional risk factors such as smoking and diabetes, says a new study.

 

This finding supports the idea that “metals in the body are associated with the progression of plaque buildup in the arteries,” say the researchers in a press release. It may also help to create a new strategy for managing and preventing atherosclerosis. 

For the research, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, the scientists followed more than 6,000 men and women aged between 45 and 84, from different racial backgrounds and without clinical cardiovascular disease. Their urinary metal levels were measured at the beginning of the study, between 2000 and 20002, and years later.

Thanks to this, they recorded that exposure to metals may be associated with atherosclerosis over 10 years, increasing coronary calcification.