December 29, 2024, 4:19 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Smoking is not only bad for the lungs but also for the heart. Tobacco consumption is considered one of the most important preventable causes of cardiovascular disease. But apparently, there is something that is even more harmful to the heart than smoking. FITBOOK Editorial Director Melanie Hoffmann explains what a study from 2023 found in this regard.
According to the German Cancer Research Center (dfkz), around 359,000 people die from cardiovascular diseases in Germany every year.1 Worldwide, the figure is around nine million (as of 2019).2 In many cases, these diseases are linked to tobacco consumption. This can cause arteriosclerosis and even lead to a heart attack. However, another factor is apparently responsible for even more heart disease worldwide than smoking. This is the conclusion of a 2023 study. In children, it even has an impact on IQ. Developing countries are particularly affected.
Overview
The Study
The study published in the journal The Lancet is a model study based on data from the “Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study” (GBD).3 For their model calculations, the researchers used information on the lead content in the blood of people from 183 countries. These were based on estimates of the lead concentration in the blood of individual countries from 2019.
By employing appropriate models and analytical methods, the researchers calculated the loss of IQ in children under five worldwide. To put this into perspective, it has been known for some time that lead in the body can impair children’s brain development.4
Furthermore, the scientists estimated the number of cardiovascular deaths attributable to lead exposure in individuals aged 25 and older. To do this, they used a model that has become established in science for estimating the effects of certain factors on health. Using this model, the researchers assessed the effect of lead exposure on heart health not only on the basis of the effects on blood pressure, as is usually the case. They also took into account other mechanisms that affect the heart, such as hardening of the arteries.
Effect of Lead on Children
The model calculation showed that in 2019, children under the age of five worldwide lost an estimated 765 million IQ points due to lead exposure. The scientists recorded 729 million of the 765 million IQ points lost (i.e., 95 percent of the global IQ loss in young children) in countries with predominantly middle or low-income levels. There, the calculated IQ loss was almost 80 percent higher than in an earlier GBD estimate.
Deaths Due to Heart Disease Caused by Lead
According to the model, the effect of lead as a factor in heart disease was also dramatic. An estimated 5,545,000 adults worldwide died from cardiovascular diseases in 2019 due to their exposure to lead. Here, too, the distribution was similar to that of IQ loss. Around 90 percent of cardiovascular deaths due to lead exposure occurred in developing countries. In total, this amounted to 5,004,000 deaths. This indicates that the number of deaths was sixfold higher than the GBD’s 2019 estimate.
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Lead in Germany
The study found the most dramatic figures for lead exposure and deaths in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. The situation was less dire in Europe and Central Asia.
In Germany, lead exposure has decreased in recent decades, for example, due to measures such as the Gasoline Lead Law, which was drafted in 1971 and amended in 2020.5 This led to a decrease in lead exposure from road traffic.6
However, people in Germany can also come into contact with the toxic heavy metal in other ways. It is sometimes found in soil, and in old buildings it can get into drinking water through lead pipes.7,8 Homeowners or tenants should consider testing for lead if there is any doubt.