Acidic Drinking
Water May Increase Risk of Type 1 Diabetes
Low pH
drinking water in individual households is strongly associated with
the risk of type 1 diabetes, according to results of a study reported
in the September issue of Diabetes Care.
Dr.
Lars C. Stene, of the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo,
and colleagues first detected a significant association between
diabetes and the use of well water, as opposed to water from
waterworks, after questioning subjects in Vest-Agder county. In a
survey of 85 individuals diagnosed with diabetes before age 15 and
1071 control subjects, the odds ratio for the association was 2.3.
The
researchers then analyzed tap water samples from the homes of 64
patients and 250 control subjects. The odds ratio for type 1 diabetes
was 5.56 for tap water with pH between 6.2 and 6.9 compared with water
of pH 7.7 or above after adjusting for potential confounders such as
zinc concentration, maternal education, water source, area of
residence, gender and birth year. The association for the trend was
highly significant at p = 0.002.
Higher
concentrations of zinc were associated with a decreased risk of
diabetes after adjusting for pH and the other confounders. Compared
with zinc concentrations below 15 g/L, the adjusted odds ratio was
0.38 for concentrations between 45 and 74.9 g/L, while for higher
concentrations, the odds ratio was 0.28.
"The
mechanisms by which water acidity or mineral content may be involved
in etiology of type 1 diabetes remain unknown, but the mechanisms are
most likely indirect and may involve an influence on survival of
microorganisms in the water," the investigators maintain. For
example, enteroviruses or rotaviruses "that may be relevant in
the etiology of type 1 diabetes" survive optimally at pH levels
of about 6.2-6.9. Diabetes
Care 2002;25:1534-1538
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