The association between alcohol consumption and renal tubular dysfunction induced by cadmium exposure

Alcohol consumption is inversely associated with the risk of chronic kidney diseases. However, this association has not been reported in populations exposed to cadmium.
Researchers examined the association between alcohol consumption and renal tubular dysfunction in populations living in cadmium-polluted areas. A total of 446 subjects (170 men and 276 women) were included in the analysis.
The urinary cadmium and cadmium in blood were determined as the exposure biomarkers. Urinary N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase (UNAG) and β2- microgloblin were measured as renal indicators. Alcohol drinking patterns were obtained from a questionnaire and divided into four categories: non-drinking, light drinking (< 3 drinks/week), moderate drinking (3-7 drinks/week), and heavy drinking (> 7 drinks /week).
Where UNAG was the indicator of renal dysfunction, the prevalence of renal tubular dysfunction was
lower in subjects with alcohol consumption, both in men (χ2 = 8.5, p < 0.01) and women (χ2 = 8.3, p
< 0.01). The odds ratio (OR) of subjects with light and moderate alcohol drinking was 0.31 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.1-0.99) and 0.30 (95%CI, 0.1-0.96), respectively, compared with those of non-drinkers after adjusting with the confounders in men. Similar results were observed in women with light drinking (OR = 0.33, 95%CI, 0.15-0.70). Similar trends were observed in those subjects with high cadmium in blood (> 3.0 μg/L) or urinary cadmium (> 5.0 μg/g creatinine).
The results of the analysis indicate that alcohol consumption is inversely associated with cadmium-induced renal tubular dysfunction.
Source: The association between alcohol consumption and renal tubular dysfunction induced by cadmium exposure. Chen X, Cui W, Duan N, Zhu G, Jin T, Wang Z. Biol Trace Elem Res. 2019 May 27.