Association between urinary arsenic species and vitamin D deficiency: a cross-sectional study in Chinese pregnant women

Front Public Health. 2024 Apr 17:12:1371920. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1371920. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Background: An increasing number of studies suggest that environmental pollution may increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency (VDD). However, less is known about arsenic (As) exposure and VDD, particularly in Chinese pregnant women.

Objectives: This study examines the correlations of different urinary As species with serum 25 (OH) D and VDD prevalence.

Methods: We measured urinary arsenite (As3+), arsenate (As5+), monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), and dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) levels and serum 25(OH)D2, 25(OH)D3, 25(OH) D levels in 391 pregnant women in Tianjin, China. The diagnosis of VDD was based on 25(OH) D serum levels. Linear relationship, Logistic regression, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) were used to examine the associations between urinary As species and VDD.

Results: Of the 391 pregnant women, 60 received a diagnosis of VDD. Baseline information showed significant differences in As3+, DMA, and tAs distribution between pregnant women with and without VDD. Logistic regression showed that As3+ was significantly and positively correlated with VDD (OR: 4.65, 95% CI: 1.79, 13.32). Meanwhile, there was a marginally significant positive correlation between tAs and VDD (OR: 4.27, 95% CI: 1.01, 19.59). BKMR revealed positive correlations between As3+, MMA and VDD. However, negative correlations were found between As5+, DMA and VDD.

Conclusion: According to our study, there were positive correlations between iAs, especially As3+, MMA and VDD, but negative correlations between other As species and VDD. Further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms that exist between different As species and VDD.

Keywords: BKMR; arsenic species; cross-sectional study; pregnancy; vitamin D deficiency.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Arsenic* / blood
  • Arsenic* / urine
  • Arsenicals / urine
  • China / epidemiology
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • East Asian People
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Logistic Models
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / epidemiology
  • Pregnancy Complications / urine
  • Prevalence
  • Vitamin D / blood
  • Vitamin D / urine
  • Vitamin D Deficiency* / epidemiology
  • Vitamin D Deficiency* / urine

Substances

  • Arsenic
  • Arsenicals
  • Vitamin D

Grants and funding

This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 82373543), the Fundamental Research Funds for Higher Education of Tianjin Municipal Education Commission (grant number 2020ZD14), Tianjin Xiqing Hospital Science Foundation [grant number XQYYKLT202101 and XQYYKLT202103], Science Foundation of Women’s and Children’s Health Center of Dongchangfu District (grant number DCFY-KLT-202301).