Nutritional influences on metal toxicity: cadmium as a model toxic element.

The nutrient quality of the diet has been shown repeatedly to be a significant factor in modifying the response of man and animals to toxic element exposure. Deficiencies of several essential nutrients have been shown to exacerbate the effects of cadmium and supplements of such nutrients have been shown to ameliorate the toxicity. Thus the effects of exposure to a toxic element, such as cadmium, may vary, depending on interactions with other elements which are present in the diet in different concentrations.