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Acidic Drinking Water May Increase Risk of
Type 1 Diabetes
posted 10/17/02
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.
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com: Diabetes Care 2002;25:1534-1538.
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