Arsenic in Environment And Heart Attack, Stroke Risk

People chronically exposed to low to moderate levels of arsenic in their environment may be more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease, a study  suggests.

Previous research has linked exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water (more than 100 micrograms per liter) with coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral artery disease and carotid atherosclerosis.

Environmental health researchers decided to explore whether exposure to the lower levels of arsenic more commonly found in drinking water or food also would increase the risk of heart disease.

Regular exposure to more common levels of arsenic did indeed correlate to increased risk of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular disease, even after adjusting for other risk factors such as smoking, obesity and cholesterol levels, according to the findings.

"It's a chronic long-term health effect," he said. "We need to understand that cardiovascular disease is a very complex illness, and there are many environmental risk factors like arsenic which can contribute."

Although the study found that relatively common levels of arsenic in drinking water were associated with a higher risk of heart disease, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

Groundwater likely provided the major source of arsenic exposure in some states, researchers said. Private wells in those states often exceed the  standard for arsenic in drinking water of 10 micrograms per liter, and are sometimes as high as 50 micrograms per liter.

Study participants provided urine samples that the research team used to estimate their exposure to inorganic arsenic.

Of the participants, nearly 450 died of cardiovascular disease and almost 1,200 developed either fatal or nonfatal cardiovascular disease. Researchers found that a person's risk of death from cardiovascular disease increased with their arsenic exposure.

The one-quarter of patients who showed the highest levels of arsenic in their urine had about a 50 percent increased risk of death by heart attack or stroke compared to those with the lowest levels of arsenic, Navas-Acien said.

Arsenic exposure also was associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.

 People who are concerned about their arsenic intake should have their drinking water tested, she said.

"In particular, people who live in small communities or have private wells should be aware of the arsenic levels in their drinking water," she said. "If you use groundwater and you don't know the levels of arsenic in your drinking water, that can be quite dangerous."

"The best advice we can give people is to eat food that comes from a variety of different regions, as opposed to being raised in a single location," she said.

People also should vary their day-to-day eating patterns, she said.

"There are children out there who drink apple juice every day," she said. "That's risky because we know there are elevated arsenic levels in juice. People need to diversify their diet."

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

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