Cadmium, Smoking, and Human Blood DNA Methylation Profiles in Adults from the Strong Heart Study
The epigenetic effects of individual environmental toxicants in tobacco remain largely unexplored. Cadmium (Cd) has been associated with smoking-related health effects, and its concentration in tobacco smoke is higher in comparison with other metals. We studied the association of Cd and smoking exposures with human blood DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles. We also evaluated the implication of findings to relevant methylation pathways and the potential contribution of Cd exposure from smoking to explain the association between smoking and site-specific DNAm. We conducted an epigenome-wide association study of urine Cd and self-reported smoking (current and former vs. never, and cumulative smoki…
Blood DNA Methylation and Incident Coronary Heart Disease
IMPORTANCE American Indian communities experience a high burden of coronary heart disease (CHD). Strategies are needed to identify individuals at risk and implement preventive interventions. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association of blood DNA methylation (DNAm) with incident CHD using a large number of methylation sites (cytosine-phosphate-guanine [CpG]) in a single model. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This prospective study, including a discovery cohort (the Strong Heart Study [SHS]) and 4 additional cohorts (the Women's Health Initiative [WHI], the Framingham Heart Study [FHS], the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study ([ARIC]-Black, and ARIC-White), evaluated 12 American Indian…