Arsenic exposure and type 2 diabetes: results from the 2007-2009 Canadian Health Measures Survey

• Published in: Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada 2015-06, Vol.35 (4), p.63-72
• Main Authors: Feseke, S K, St-Laurent, J, Anassour-Sidi, E, Ayotte, P, Bouchard, M, Levallois, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Arsenic - urine; Blood Glucose - analysis; Canada - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - epidemiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - etiology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - psychology; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - urine; Drinking Water - analysis; Drinking Water - standards; Environmental Exposure; Female; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Humans; Life Style; Male; Medical History Taking; Middle Aged; Prediabetic State - blood; Prediabetic State - epidemiology; Prediabetic State - etiology; Prediabetic State - psychology; Prediabetic State - urine; Prevalence; Statistics as Topic; urinary arsenic, Canadian Health Measures Survey, type 2 diabetes, population survey
• ISSN: 2368-738X; 2368-738X
• DOI: 10.24095/hpcdp.35.4.01

Inorganic arsenic and its metabolites are considered dangerous to human health. Although several studies have reported associations between low-level arsenic exposure and diabetes mellitus in the United States and Mexico, this association has not been studied in the Canadian population. We evaluated the association between arsenic exposure, as measured by total arsenic concentration in urine, and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 3151 adult participants in Cycle 1 (2007-2009) of the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS). All participants were tested to determine blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin. Urine analysis was also performed to measure total arsenic. In addition, participants answered a detailed questionnaire about their lifestyle and medical history. We assessed the association between urinary arsenic levels and T2D and prediabetes using multivariate logistic regression while adjusting for potential confounders. Total urinary arsenic concentration was positively associated with the prevalence of T2D and prediabetes: adjusted odds ratios were 1.81 (95% CI: 1.12-2.95) and 2.04 (95% CI: 1.03-4.05), respectively, when comparing the highest (fourth) urinary arsenic concentration quartile with the lowest (first) quartile. Total urinary arsenic was also associated with glycated hemoglobin levels in people with untreated diabetes. We found significant associations between arsenic exposure and the prevalence of T2D and prediabetes in the Canadian population. Causal inference is limited due to the cross-sectional design of the study and the absence of long-term exposure assessment.