Urinary cadmium concentrations and intake of nutrients, food groups and dietary patterns in women from Northern Mexico

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic metal found in some foods. There is limited evidence about the relationship of Cd exposure with nutrient and food groups consumption, and almost no information regarding dietary patterns. The objective was to evaluate the association between diet and urinary Cd, and to explore whether metal concentrations vary according to the intake of some nutrients. Urinary Cd concentrations of 891 female residents of northern Mexico were determined by tandem mass spectrometry. We obtained food consumption through a food frequency questionnaire and we used previously defined food groups and estimated dietary patterns by factor analysis. We found positive associations between Cd and daily consumption of non-starchy vegetables (ß = 0.067, 95% CI 0.030, 0.1023), legumes (ß = 0.139, 95% CI 0.065, 0.213) and processed meats (ß = 0.163, 95% CI 0.035.0.291), as well as the Western (ß = 0.083, 95% CI: 0.027.0.139) and Prudent dietary patterns (ß = 0.035, 95% CI: −0.020, 0.091). In contrast, we observed a negative association with the vegetable oil group (ß = −0.070, 95% CI −0.125, −0.014). In addition, we found higher concentrations of Cd in women under 50 years of age with a lower iron intake than recommended. Food is a source of exposure to this metal and at the same time provides nutrients that modulate its metabolism. It is important to generate dietary guidelines to reduce the health effects of Cd exposure.