Cadmium May Sabotage Infant’s Immune Systems

Many consider themselves aficionados of movies of intrigue where the hero works relentlessly to counter some evil saboteur of world peace.  We sit glued to screens waiting to see how the hero either outwits or overpowers the villain.  Little do most know that practically every day we are battling potential saboteurs on microscopic battlefields inside our bodies.  These saboteurs are typically toxins which disrupt in some way the proper functioning of our immune systems.  They may suppress the system and open the door for infections.  They may over activate and trigger autoimmune diseases.  They may cause imbalance and produce allergic diseases.

            An abstract by Professor Isabella Annesi-Maesano to the recent virtual conference of the European Respiratory Society described her team’s finding concerning cadmium in the setting of prenatal exposures.  This heavy metal can be found in batteries, colorful pigments, and in tobacco.  Through food, water, and air, this metal can enter our bodies and even in small amounts, cause disease. 

            They followed 706 women and their infants from a French maternity ward looking at cadmium, lead, and manganese.  They measured the 3 metals in the mother’s blood and the umbilical cord blood after delivery.  After following the children up to 8 years of age, they compared the levels of these metals to allergic diseases including asthma and eczema.   In children with higher cadmium levels, there was an increased risk of asthma by about 24%.  Food allergies were increased by 44%. 

            This survey only provides evidence of correlation and awaits further research into the mechanisms by which this allergic activation may occur.  However, this should attract the attention of parents and those overseeing industrial production of metals like cadmium.  Mainstream medicine may try to ignore the important contribution of such toxins to health conditions, but research like this is abundant and should not be ignored. 

            Functional medicine knows that saboteurs should never be welcome in our bodies.  We guide our patients in prevention by educating where toxins hide in our environments.  We also guide patients in improving detox mechanisms so that whatever toxins already found their way in can be eliminated as soon as possible.  With this education and detoxification, we can optimize our patient’s immune health for 2020 and beyond.

Original Website Conference Abstract:

European Respiratory Society Virtual Conference:  Exposure to cadmium in the womb linked to childhood asthma and allergies.  https://www.ersnet.org/the-society/news/exposure-to-cadmium-in-the-womb-linked-to-childhood-asthma-and-allergies.  Accessed 09/06/2020.

Thanks to Science Daily:

European Lung Foundation. “Exposure to cadmium in the womb linked to childhood asthma and allergies.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 2 September 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200902182433.htm>.