̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF)

Experts warn of cardiovascular risk from heavy metal pollution

cjb250 — Wed, 29 Aug 2018 22:30:11 +0000

In recent decades, exposures to environmental toxic metals such as arsenic, copper, lead, cadmium and mercury, have become a global public health concern. Although often naturally occurring, these contaminants have made their way into water supplies and, via irrigation, into the food chain. For example, in Bangladesh, deep wells were introduced in the Ganges Delta to draw water clear of bacterial and viral pathogens, but this inadvertently led to exposure to toxic metals.

Concern has often focused on the toxicity or carcinogenic properties of the metals, particularly at high doses. However, there is increasing evidence to suggest that heavy metals may have other adverse effects on health – including cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke – even at lower levels of exposure, which might be prevalent in many parts of the world, including the UK and the US.

To interpret the available evidence, a team led by researchers at Cambridge’s Department of Public Health and Primary Care carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies covering 350,000 unique participants from 37 countries.

̽��ֱ��results of the study showed that exposure to arsenic, lead, cadmium and copper – but not mercury – was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

“It’s clear from our analysis that there’s a possible link between exposure to heavy metals or metalloids and risk of conditions such as heart disease, even at low doses – and the greater the exposure, the greater the risk,” says Dr Rajiv Chowdhury, the study’s first author. “While people shouldn’t be overly worried about any immediate health risk, it should send a message to policymakers that we need to take action to reduce people’s exposure.”

Worldwide, those at greatest exposure of arsenic, lead, cadmium and copper were around 30% to 80% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those at lowest exposure.

̽��ֱ��report is important, say the researchers, because it highlights the need to tackle this environmental and public health problem, one which disproportionately affects people in low and middle income countries, though may still affect those in higher income countries. Interventions need not be costly, they stress; for example, cheap, scalable technologies (e.g. environmentally-friendly water filters) or behavioural interventions (e.g. rinsing practices of rice and vegetables prior to cooking) are currently being tested to reduce exposures at the household level.

Additionally, in a letter published at the end of June, Dr Chowdhury and colleagues expressed their disappointment that the earlier WHO report by the Independent High-Level Commission on non-communicable diseases published in June did not include exposure to heavy metals as a key contributing factor. Writing in the Lancet, the authors said: “Unfortunately, this globally important report had a major omission: recognising the detrimental role of environmental risk factors, beyond the conventional behavioural factors (tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, and unhealthy diet), in enhancing global NCD burden and health inequality.”

Dr Chowdhury and colleagues recently also received £8.1 million from the UK Research Councils’ Global Challenges Research Fund to set up a long-term programme (called CAPABLE) to further investigate environmental factors of cardiovascular diseases and to help inform preventative strategies.

Reference
1) Chowdhury, R et al. Environmental toxic metal contaminants and cardiovascular risk: a systematic review 1 and meta-analysis of observational studies. BMJ; 30 Aug 2018; DOI:10.1136/bmj.k3310

2) Chowdhury R, et al. Reducing NCDs globally: the under-recognised role of environmental risk factors. ̽��ֱ��Lancet; 28 June 2018; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31473-9

Even low doses of toxic chemicals in the environment pose a significant risk to cardiovascular health, according to a report in today’s edition of ̽��ֱ��BMJ, led by researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. ̽��ֱ��researchers have also challenged the omission of environmental risk factors such as toxic metal contaminants in water and foods from the recent World Health Organization report on non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

It’s clear from our analysis that there’s a possible link between exposure to heavy metals or metalloids and risk of conditions such as heart disease, even at low doses – and the greater the exposure, the greater the risk

Rajiv Chowdhury

geograph.org.uk

Filter bed beside Afon Rheidol Water draining from an adjacent disused silver-lead mine is passed through these filter beds so as to allow the toxic heavy metals to settle out, thereby reducing pollution of the river.

Researcher profile: Dr Rajiv Chowdhury

2006 was a year of “life-changing events” for Dr Rajiv Chowdhury: not only did he receive a Commonwealth scholarship to study for a masters at Cambridge, but his wife also gave birth to their baby daughter.

Rajiv grew up in Bangladesh, where he studied medicine before moving to Cambridge for his masters. This made him acutely aware of the challenges facing low-income countries. “I could see for myself the massive inequalities, the huge burden of disease, the poor infrastructure, lack of resources…” he says. But it was his encounter with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – conditions such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diseases – that was to have particular relevance to his current work.

Following his masters, Rajiv went on to receive a Gates Cambridge scholarship to support his PhD in epidemiology – the first Gates Cambridge scholar from Bangladesh. He now studies the role played by both environmental factors (such as toxic metals, diet, etc.) and genetic factors in influencing the risk of chronic NCDs.

Rajiv’s particular interest involves working closely with researchers in low-income countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Malaysia – as well as being the principal investigator on several international research projects, he is also Scientific Director for CAPABLE (Cambridge Programme to Assist Bangladesh in Lifestyle and Environmental risk reduction), funded through the Global Challenges Research Fund.

“I hope that our work will lead to the establishment of the largest NCD scientific cohort study in Bangladesh,” he says. “We’re aiming for it to recruit over 150,000 participants. This should help us generate some effective solutions to reduce the impact of environmental risk factors which affect many hundreds of millions of people worldwide.”

Rajiv says he has learned a lot from both his mentors and peers during his time at Cambridge. “Cambridge offers one of the most intellectually stimulating environments in the world for scientific endeavours,” he says. “I have come across some of the brightest minds in biomedical science here who have changed my life and the way I perceive research.”

Image: Dr Chowdhury checking survey forms filled in by our local community health workers in Bangladesh

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution-ShareAlike

Cambridge and Indian partners launch collaboration to transform India’s "Green Revolution”

ag236 — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 09:58:15 +0000

̽��ֱ��adoption of modern methods and new technologies in agriculture that propelled India to self-sufficiency in grain production in the second half of the 20th century is known as the country’s “Green Revolution”. It allowed India to overcome poor agricultural productivity, especially in regions like the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, although it relied on overuse of water, fertilisers and pesticides.

Today, climate change, continuing population growth and the rapid process of urbanisation have put added pressure on India’s ability to feed its population. TIGR2ESS – an acronym for “Transforming India’s Green Revolution by Research and Empowerment for Sustainable food Supplies” – is a £7.8 million programme funded by the UK Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) to develop more resilient, equal and diverse food systems in India. It aims to define the requirements for a second more sustainable Green Revolution, and to deliver this through a suite of research programmes, training workshops and educational activities

̽��ֱ��TIGR2ESS launch event took place in the context of a three-day workshop that brought together all the UK and India partners to discuss and finalise a plan for the programme’s effective implementation.

TIGR²ESS will support 14 postdoctoral researchers employed at partner research institutions and universities across India, as well as eight post-doctoral research associates from collaborating institutions in the UK

̽��ֱ��programme will create 3-year research opportunities for a total of 22 early-career researchers in the UK and India, and also promote academic exchanges at all levels in laboratories across India and the UK.

One of TIGR²ESS’ objectives is to foster mutually beneficial knowledge exchange and collaborative research through workshops in Cambridge and India. In addition, it will deliver a programme of outreach, education and entrepreneurship. In doing so, TIGR²ESS will help strengthen Indian research capacity in key areas of the food system, and will contribute to the development of smart agriculture in India.

At the heart of the TIGR2ESS proposal are a series of Flagship Projects tackling fundamental research questions, and addressing the associated social issues facing farmers in the context of increasing urbanisation and climate change.

Professor Stephen Toope, Vice-Chancellor of the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, said: “TIGR²ESS will inform best practice in crop development and growth. It will allow greater genetic understanding of crop resilience to drought and disease. It will contribute to more effective use of scarce water supplies. It will build capacity and foster education.”

“It will empower women and entrepreneurs, and encourage innovation along the food supply chain. It will create opportunities for early-career researchers, and in doing so will contribute to India’s efforts to ensure it is able to meet the needs of its growing population. I am delighted that Cambridge is a part of this extraordinary initiative.”

Professor Ashutosh Sharma, Secretary of India’s Department of Science and Technology and Department of Biotechnology, added: “"India is a diverse country, and negotiating this diversity is the key to developing any interventions. ̽��ֱ��TIGR²ESS programme takes into account this diversity, and that will define its success. We need to take a holistic view at the nexus between agriculture, environment, water, climate, energy and health. Assessing the impact of technology applications or interventions in a larger setting is very important."

Presenting TIGR²ESS, the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge’s Professor Howard Griffiths, the programme’s principal investigator, said: “This unprecedented programme of joint activities will enable capacity building both in the UK and India, and shape the policy needed to define a second Green Revolution for India.”

“TIGR²ESS will address the challenges identified by our colleagues in India, and translate research outcomes to build agriculture systems that support sustainable livelihoods, enhancing the well-being and health of rural communities with a particular focus on improving the opportunities for equality, female empowerment and youth employment, and market-led entrepreneurial opportunities.”

Daniel Shah, Director, Research Councils UK (RCUK) India, said “TIGR²ESS is a great example of the UK and the Indian research teams partnering to address issues around food security and agriculture systems. This initiative also aligns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to double farmers’ income by 2020."

Researchers met in New Delhi today to formalise the launch of a programme that aims to jointly address some of India’s most pressing food security challenges.

This unprecedented programme of joint activities will enable capacity building both in the UK and India, and shape the policy needed to define a second Green Revolution for India.

Prof Howard Griffiths

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

Yes

Changing the face of Indian farming

jg533 — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 15:11:03 +0000

̽��ֱ��rains are less reliable. Sudden heat waves create challenging conditions for crops. Poor harvests result not only in debt, but also in malnutrition for smallholder farmers. Farming in India is not an attractive career option.

Many Indian farmers are turning their backs on the life altogether. ̽��ֱ��pull of the city, with the promise of better work and a better income, is drawing huge numbers of rural Indians away from the land.

Women in India have always been involved in farming, typically doing work between the traditionally ‘male jobs’ of sowing and harvesting, such as weeding and applying fertiliser. But they usually work land that belongs to their husbands’ families, and when households become more impoverished they have to work harder yet still earn less than the men.

“It’s becoming difficult to get a reliable income from agriculture in many parts of the Indian subcontinent,” says Dr Shailaja Fennell, from the Centre of Development Studies. “It’s quite common for the majority of younger family members to go to a town to look for work. In the last decade in regions like the Punjab – which benefited from the Green Revolution – even many of the young women are leaving the land, to study at school and college.

“So now the farming is left to the older women – the mothers and sometimes the grandmothers. They’re in the difficult situation of having to make do in households where incomes are falling. In poorer states such as Odisha, this can lead to malnourishment, which has long-term effects on the children.”

̽��ֱ��record grain outputs of India’s ‘Green Revolution’ in the 1970s and 1980s established the country as one of the world’s largest agricultural producers, sustaining its booming population and boosting its economy. But the level of success varied from region to region, and the continued overuse of water, fertilisers and pesticides, together with post-harvest crop losses, has put increasing pressure on natural resources. India’s rapid population growth continues, and the UN estimates it will surpass China by 2022 to become the most populous country in the world. And more people means more mouths to feed.

Fennell is a co-investigator of TIGR²ESS: a new, large-scale, multi-partner project that has just been awarded £6.9m funding from the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) by Research Councils UK to address this complex web of issues. Drawing together a formidable network of partners from research, industry, government and NGOs in the UK and India, the project aims to define the requirements for a second, more sustainable Green Revolution, and to deliver this through a suite of research programmes, training workshops and educational activities.

̽��ֱ��funding forms part of the UK government’s Official Development Assistance commitment, and partners from both countries will work together, with over 22 new researchers funded in both the UK and India.

“India is developing fast. A new approach is urgently needed to ensure a more resilient outcome for the future of the country’s food production,” says plant scientist Professor Howard Griffiths, who leads TIGR²ESS. “To be successful, we need to address the challenges in India today, from equality and sustainability in agriculture, to the problems associated with climate change.”

̽��ֱ��empowerment of women will be a key theme of this multifaceted project. Providing India’s women with the skills and knowledge to contribute to improved food security for their country, and better nutrition for their families, will take various approaches. ̽��ֱ��UK–Indian partnership will set up ‘nutrition kitchens’ in Indian villages alongside existing health centres to run monthly cooking classes and provide nutrition-relevant education. And in the field, workshops will educate female farmers to help them improve their farming practices.

“Some crops, like certain varieties of millet for example, are currently used only for animal feed,” says Griffiths. “But they have a better nutrient balance and are more climate resilient than the preferred staples like wheat, so switching may partly be a question of education.”

“In parallel, our research will be looking for ways to increase the value of these crops, to raise family incomes,” adds Fennell. “These are very specific interventions that have huge potential impact. TIGR²ESS will bring together science and social science to drive interventions that actually work for Indian farmers and their communities.”

TIGR²ESS will include fundamental research addressing crop productivity and water use in India, and will identify appropriate crops and farming practices for different climatic regions. It also includes a capacity-building programme of researcher exchanges between the UK and India to ensure skills development and build expertise for the longterm. And it will draw on expertise at Cambridge’s Centre for Science and Policy with the aim of bringing about policy change in India, to ensure that it is not just the men who receive farming support.

“Recognising that an increasing number of India’s smallholder farmers are women, we need to ensure that state resources and services, and knowledge, are equally accessible to them,” says Dr V. Selvam, Executive Director of the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Chennai, one of the India-based project partners.

“ ̽��ֱ��ultimate impact of TIGR²ESS will be to deliver sustainable practices and improved food security, whilst promoting equal opportunities and enhancing nutrition and health for rural communities across different regions and climatic zones in India,” says Griffiths. “For Cambridge, this is an opportunity to build on our commitment to international scientific excellence and to translate this into real benefits for society through our partnership with India’s Department of Biotechnology and institutions across India.”

Inset image: A farmer at work weeding in a maize field in the Indian state of Bihar. Credit: M. DeFreese/CIMMYT.

Indian agriculture is expected to feed a growing and increasingly urbanised population. But if everyone wants to move to towns and cities, who is left to farm the land?

̽��ֱ��farming is left to the older women – the mothers and sometimes the grandmothers. They’re in the difficult situation of having to make do in households where incomes are falling.

Shailaja Fennell

M. DeFreese/CIMMYT

Farmer from the Indian state of Bihar

Changing the way we eat, grow and distribute food

While TIGR²ESS focuses on improving India’s food production, a £340m EU Innovation programme involving Cambridge aims to put Europe at the centre of a global revolution in food innovation and production.

Around 795 million people worldwide don’t have access to enough food to meet their minimum daily energy requirements, while at least two billion consume too many calories but don’t get the nutrients they need. Both the hungry and the overweight suffer the health consequences of poor diet.

And while our increasing population is creating a growing demand for food, 25% of what we already produce is going to waste. Add to this the changing climate affecting crop growing conditions, rapid urbanisation and the increasing demand for resource-intensive foods like meat – the net result is a food system that’s increasingly under pressure.

Cambridge is one of several European universities and companies that last year won access to a £340m EU Innovation programme to change the way we eat, grow and distribute food.

̽��ֱ��project, funded by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and called EIT Food, has ambitious aims to halve the amount of food waste in Europe within a decade, and to reduce ill health caused by diet by 2030.

“Sustainability is a top-level agenda which is engaging both global multinational food producers and academics,” says Professor Howard Griffiths, who helped to lead Cambridge’s involvement in EIT Food, a consortium of 55 partners from leading European businesses, research centres and universities across 13 countries.

“Our joint goal is in making the entire food system more resilient in the context of a changing climate, and improving health and nutrition for people across the world.”

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. For image use please see separate credits above.

Yes

Licence type:

Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike