Environment has been contaminated by heavy metals ever since the original magma of earth has solidified. One such toxin is cadmium. Cadmium that has been around since the industrial age, is considered hazardous both to us and to the environment. From time immemorial man is dependent on plants available in nature for several health benefits. , has nutritional, pharmacological and antioxidant properties, thus having several medicinal applications. In the present article, we discuss the dose and time dependent damage due to exposure to cadmium on kidneys, liver, testis, lipid profile and haematological parameters in adult Wistar rats and the protective effects of (pre-treatment) on cadmium induced damage.

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Background: Studies have shown that overweight and underweight can contribute to fertility problems. There is a significant paucity of data in the Indian context regarding the effect of body mass index (BMI) on infertility in women. Aims and Objective: To find the association of BMI with primary and secondary infertility among infertile women in Mangalore. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 204 infertile women (18-45 years) from a tertiary care hospital in Mangalore. Primary and secondary infertility were classified based on the infertility definitions of the World Health Organization. Weight and height were used to calculate BMI (kg/m 2). Result: This study showed that infertile women with overweight were maximum 87 (42.65%), followed by women with normal BMI 85 (41.67%), underweight 17 (8.33%), and obese 15 (7.35%). Of 204 infertile women, 137 (67.2%) had primary infertility and 67 (32.8%) had secondary infertility. Of 137 women with primary infertility, 12 (8.8%) were underweight, 55 (40.1%) were normal BMI, 62 (45.3%) were overweight, and 8 (5.8%) were obese. Of 67 women with secondary infertility, 5 (7.5%) were underweight, 30 (44.8%) were normal BMI, 25 (37.3%) were overweight, and 7 (10.4%) were obese. Deviation of weight from normal BMI was more in primary infertility (59.9%) than in secondary infertility (55.2%). Conclusion: Both overweight and underweight is a preventable risk factor for infertility and precautionary measures to manage them may be an effective means of reducing the risk of infertility and other associated disorders. Future studies are needed to understand if correction of weight improves fertility in these women.