Hormonal
Arsenic exposure interferes with insulin signal transduction and glucose metabolism mechanisms, including the inhibition of insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and alteration of transcription factors like IUF-1 and PPARγ.
Laboratory studies show that arsenic can disrupt how cells process glucose and respond to insulin by interfering with key proteins and genes. However, these effects were observed at concentrations much higher than what most people encounter in drinking water, so the direct impact on human health remains uncertain.
Five studies reported that arsenic interfered with transcription factors involved in insulin-related gene expression: upstream factor 1 in pancreatic β-cells and peroxisome proliferative-activated receptor γ in preadipocytes.
Why this rating
The mechanisms are observed in cell cultures using concentrations much higher than typical human exposure, limiting direct applicability.
Source
Arsenic Exposure and Type 2 Diabetes: A Systematic Review of the Experimental and Epidemiologic Evidence
Ana Navas‐Acién et al. · Environmental Health Perspectives · 2005
DOI 10.1289/ehp.8551
More from this paper
- The current evidence is inadequate to establish a causal role of arsenic in diabetes due to methodological limitations in epidemiologic studies and the use of non-physiological concentrations in experimental studies.Strong
- Chronic exposure to high levels of arsenic in drinking water (typically >100 ppb) is associated with a significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, with a pooled relative risk of 2.52 in high-exposure populations.Moderate
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