A new study has warned of the accumulation of 6 metals in the body that contribute to atherosclerosis, namely cadmium, cobalt, copper, tungsten, uranium and zinc.

The lead researcher, Caitlin McGraw, from Columbia University in the United States, said that the results of the study highlighted the importance of considering exposure to metals as a major risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.

People are usually exposed to cadmium through tobacco smoke, while the other 5 metals are linked to agricultural fertilizers, batteries, oil production, welding and mining, and nuclear energy production.

The researchers examined a major database of more than 6,400 people in middle age or older, all of whom were free of heart disease when they joined the study between 2000 and 2002.

The results revealed that for cadmium, its levels were 75 percent higher in participants who had the highest level of arterial calcification.

For tungsten, uranium and cobalt in urine, these numbers were 45, 39 and 47
percent higher, respectively.

Those with the highest levels of copper and zinc in urine had calcification levels that were 33 percent and 57 percent higher, respectively, than those with the lowest levels.

Source: Qatar News Agency