Consumption of Rice Products Containing Low Levels of Arsenic and Its Relationship to Health Outcomes Utilizing Blood Pressure Readings: An Initial Analysis of NHANES Data

Abstract

Over the last several years, there has been an increasing concern regarding safety of food products which are reported to contain arsenic (As). Researchers has indicated that high levels of As in drinking water have been correlated with negative health outcomes. However, the dietary exposures from food items containing As levels well below the established water quality standards, have not been well investigated and have become a subject of increasing evaluation and priority.Rice is one widely consumed product, which contains As. The possible health ramifications of consuming a diet rich in rice, specifically regarding low‐level As exposure through rice ingestion, is not completely understood nor characterized. Considering the implication that low levels of As may be directly linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects including cancer, hypertension, and high blood sugar, this study will focus on evaluating the potential linkages between low‐level arsenic exposure (ingestion) due to consumption of rice and high blood pressure in a specified population.A sound starting point in this investigation is the National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In the NHANES, over 5,000 individuals per year were sampled via a complex probability analysis between years 2003–2012. The objective of the current study is to explore the association between overall rice consumption by adults within the United States (18 years and older) with total urinary arsenic levels and hypertension as measured by Systolic Blood Pressure data. From the NHANES surveys and laboratory samples, our data analysis was completed utilizing linear regression models in order to test the associations between rice consumption, urinary arsenic levels, and high systolic blood pressure. Early stage evaluations support the research hypothesis, which indicates that arsenic containing rice products are likely contributing to high blood pressure, when specific demographics, as well the confounders of total water consumption, and water source are placed into the model.Support or Funding InformationLoma Linda University School of Public Health: Doctoral Research Allotted Funds