Associations of urinary cadmium with circulating sex hormone levels in pre- and postmenopausal Japanese women.
Exposure to cadmium has been suspected as a risk factor for breast cancer. The present study examined the associations between urinary cadmium levels and circulating sex hormone levels that are linked to breast cancer risk in healthy women.



The study subjects were 396 premenopausal Japanese women who had regular menstrual cycles less than 40 days long and 207 postmenopausal Japanese women. Urinary cadmium was measured using spot urine samples. Plasma estradiol, testosterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate were measured. Additionally, the follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, and sex hormone-binding globulin were measured for premenopausal women.



In premenopausal women, the urinary cadmium level either expressed in μg per liter or per g of urine creatinine was significantly inversely associated with total and free testosterone levels after controlling for age, body mass index, smoking status, alcohol intake, and the phase of the menstrual cycle. Total and free testosterone levels were 14.6% and 15.0% lower, respectively, in women in the highest quartile of urinary cadmium per g creatinine in those in the lowest quartile. In postmenopausal women, the urinary cadmium in μg per liter as well as per g creatinine was significantly inversely associated with the estradiol level after controlling for covariates. The estradiol level was 25.8% lower in women in the highest tertile of urinary cadmium per g creatinine than in those in the lowest tertile.



The data suggest inverse associations between urinary cadmium and the plasma estradiol or testosterone level in Japanese women.
Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan. Electronic address: chisato@gifu-u.ac.jp.
Chisato
C
Nagata
Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Kie
K
Konishi
Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Yuko
Y
Goto
Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Takashi
T
Tamura
Department of Epidemiology & Preventive Medicine, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan.
Keiko
K
Wada
Department of Internal Medicine, Matsunami General Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Makoto
M
Hayashi
Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Murakami Memorial Hospital, Asahi University, Gifu, Japan.
Noriyuki
N
Takeda
Department of Internal Medicine, Matsunami General Hospital, Gifu, Japan.
Keigo
K
Yasuda
D000328:Adult; D002104:Cadmium / Q000652:urine*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008875:Middle Aged; D017698:Postmenopause / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D017697:Premenopause / Q000097:blood* / Q000652:urine*; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D012739:Gonadal Steroid Hormones; D002104:Cadmium
Breast cancer; Cadmium; Estradiol; Japanese women; Testosterone