Bone lead (Pb) content at the tibia is associated with thinner distal tibia cortices and lower volumetric bone density in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Conflicting evidence suggests that bone lead or blood lead may reduce areal bone mineral density (BMD). Little is known about how lead at either compartment affects bone structure. This study examined postmenopausal women (N = 38, mean age 76 ± 8, body mass index (BMI): 26.74 ± 4.26 kg/m 2 ) within the Hamilton cohort of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos), measuring bone lead at 66% of the non-dominant leg and at the calcaneus using 109 Cadmium X-ray fluorescence. Volumetric BMD and structural parameters were obtained from peripheral quantitative computed tomography images (200 μm in-plane resolution, 2.3 ± 0.5 mm slice thickness) of the same 66% site and of the distal 4% site of the tibia length. Blood lead was measured using atomic absorption spectrometry and blood-to-bone lead partition coefficients (P BB , log ratio) were computed. Multivariable linear regression examined each of bone lead at the 66% tibia, calcaneus, blood lead and P BB as related to each of volumetric BMD and structural parameters, adjusting for age and BMI, diabetes or antiresorptive therapy. Regression coefficients were reported along with 95% confidence intervals. Higher amounts of bone lead at the tibia were associated with thinner distal tibia cortices (−0.972 (−1.882, −0.061) per 100 μg Pb/g of bone mineral) and integral volumetric BMD (−3.05 (−6.05, −0.05) per μg Pb/g of bone mineral). A higher P BB was associated with larger trabecular separation (0.115 (0.053, 0.178)), lower trabecular volumetric BMD (−26.83 (−50.37, −3.29)) and trabecular number (−0.08 (−0.14, −0.02)), per 100 μg Pb/g of bone mineral after adjusting for age and BMI, and remained significant while accounting for diabetes or use of antiresorptives. Total lead exposure activities 8.29 (0.11, 16.48)) and remained significant after age and antiresorptives-adjustment. Lead accumulated in bone can have a mild insult on bone structure; but greater partitioning of lead in blood versus bone revealed more dramatic effects on both microstructure and volumetric BMD.

Blood Lead and Other Metal Biomarkers as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease Mortality

“… 35 Lead exposure could adversely affect BMD. 36 Therefore, BMD may operate as a variable in causal pathway, and adjustment for BMD may induce bias toward the null. However, there was little indication of BMD operating as a variable in causal pathway as the observed blood lead relative risks from models A8 and B8 were not shifted toward the null compared to models A2 and B2.…”

Protective Effect of Chokeberry (<em>Aronia melanocarpa </em>L.) Extract Against Cadmium Impact on the Biomechanical Properties of the Femur: A Study in a Rat Model of Low and Moderate Lifetime Women Exposure to this Heavy Metal

“…Growing occurrence of osteoporosis with bone fracture in inhabitants of industrialized countries causes that more and more attention in recent years has been focused on environmental risk factors for bone damage [1][2][3] and numerous efforts have been undertaken to find effective ways of bone protection [4][5][6]. Among the factors that may be useful in this protection a subject of special interest are dietary products rich in biologically active substances characterized by well-defined beneficial impact on bone metabolism, including polyphenolic compounds occurring in green tea and some fruit and vegetables [4][5][6][7].…”

“…More numerous epidemiological data provide evidence that important environmental risk factors for the increasing incidence of osteoporosis are toxic heavy metals, including cadmium (Cd) [1][2][3][8][9][10]. Due to the wide distribution of this metal in the environment and food pollution, as well as its presence in the tobacco smoke, the whole population is exposed to this metal during the lifetime [8][9][10][11][12].…”

Multi-Elemental Profiling of Tibial and Maxillary Trabecular Bone in Ovariectomised Rats

“…Interestingly, the concentration of 208 Pb was greater in tibia compared to the maxilla at every time point. A number of recent studies show that an accumulation of Pb in bone disturbs cellular functions, which leads to the imbalance of bone resorption and bone formation that is characteristic of OP [ 38 , 39 , 40 ].…”