New Johns Hopkins Study: Diabetes and Arsenic
Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S
A study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association has found a low-level arsenic exposure with type 2 diabetes.
An analysis of 788 adults' medical tests, conducted by lead author Dr. Ana Navas-Acien of Johns Hopkins, found a nearly fourfold increase in the risk of diabetes in people with low arsenic concentrations in their urine compared with people with even lower levels.
Although research outside the United States has linked high levels of arsenic in drinking water with diabetes, it's the link at low levels that have researchers worried.
Where Does Arsenic Come From?
Arsenic can get into drinking water naturally when minerals dissolve. It is also an industrial pollutant from coal burning and copper smelting.
Seafood also contains nontoxic organic arsenic. The researchers adjusted their analysis for signs of seafood intake and found that people with type 2 diabetes had 26 percent higher inorganic arsenic levels than people without type 2 diabetes.
The United States lowered arsenic standards for public water systems to 10 parts per billion in 2001 because of known cancer risks. Compliance was required by 2006, years after the study data were collected in 2003 and 2004.
New safe drinking water standards may be needed if the findings are duplicated in future studies, Navas-Acien said. She said they've begun a study of 4,000 people.
Comments Dr.Grisanti:
Diabetes is a complex disease with a number of factors that may be responsible
for glucose/insulin dysfunction. As functional diagnostic medicine practitioners it would be prudent to ask your primary physician to order a red blood cell erthrocyte toxic metal test. The following is a sample of toxic metal test:
