Cadmium exposure and bone health in older adults
Official title: Urine cadmium and risk of fracture and bone loss
Funded at State University New York Stony Brook · NIH-11184369 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether long-term cadmium exposure is linked to bone loss and fractures in older men and women.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | State University New York Stony Brook NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stony Brook, United States) |
| Project start | September 20, 2021 |
| Project end | August 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $604,643 |
| NIH project number | 5R01AR081125-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11184369 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults aged 65 and older, particularly postmenopausal women and older men concerned about low bone density or past fractures, are the most relevant group for these findings.
✕Less likely to help
Younger people or those whose bone problems are clearly unrelated to environmental exposures may not get direct benefit from this work.
What this research studies
Researchers will measure cadmium in stored urine samples from two large U.S. aging cohorts and link those levels to changes in bone density and recorded fractures over time. The work combines lab testing for urinary cadmium with bone scans and clinical follow-up data from the Osteoporotic Fractures in Men (MrOS) and the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF). Follow-up covers up to about 20 years to capture long-term bone outcomes. The goal is to see if people with higher long-term cadmium exposure had more bone loss or more fractures.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If cadmium is shown to raise fracture risk, the findings could lead to prevention steps or public-health guidance to reduce exposure and protect older adults' bones.
How similar studies have gone: Prior cross-sectional studies have linked cadmium to low bone density and fractures, but large long-term prospective studies like this are uncommon.
Where this research is happening
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State University New York Stony Brook
Stony Brook, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Meliker, Jaymie R — State University New York Stony Brook
- Study coordinator: Meliker, Jaymie R
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Urine cadmium and bone health in older adults
This project looks at whether long-term cadmium exposure, measured in urine, is linked to bone loss and fractures in older adults.
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Mechanisms of bone loss after a fracture
A study at UC San Francisco will look at why bones elsewhere in the body lose mass after a fracture by analyzing blood to find biological clues.
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Systemic bone loss after fracture in humans
This project tests how a fracture in people affects bone loss across the body over time, especially comparing younger and older adults.
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Blood PFAS levels and bone loss in older adults
This project will look at whether common environmental chemicals called PFAS in blood are linked to bone thinning and higher fracture risk in older adults.
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The link between urine cadmium levels and bone health in older adults
This study is looking at how cadmium in urine might affect bone health and increase the risk of fractures in older adults, and it will track participants over 20 years to see how their bones change over time.
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Investigating the link between PFAS exposure and bone health in older adults
This study is looking at how certain chemicals called PFAS might affect bone health and increase the risk of fractures in older adults, and it will follow a diverse group of people for up to 20 years to see how these chemicals impact their bones over time.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.