Folic acid lowers blood arsenic levels in ...(pants drawn from a larger cohort study i...)

Date:10/10/2007

pants drawn from a larger cohort study in Bangladesh examining the adverse health effects of arsenic. Study participants received either a daily tablet of 400 micrograms per day of folic acid or a placebo for twelve weeks. The researchers collected blood and urine samples at the beginning and end of the study. Dr. Gamble pointed out that, The technology to measure arsenic in blood, and particularly to measure the individual arsenic metabolites in blood, didnt exist when the studies were first planned. She credits the advanced technology to recent advances in other laboratories at Columbia, including work conducted by Superfund grantee Joseph H. Graziano, Ph.D., a co-author on the study.

The work that our grantees are doing in Bangladesh is extraordinary, said Claudia Thompson, Ph.D., acting director of the SBRP. Not only is the research they are conducting improving the quality of life for the people in Bangladesh, but it can potentially help the more than 100 million people worldwide that are chronically exposed to arsenic.

The authors also stress that the study results imply that folic acid supplementation may help to reduce body stores of arsenic even after exposure has been eliminated. Elevated risk for adverse health outcomes persists for decades after exposure has ceased. Additional studies are needed, the researchers add, including, for example, studies to determine the optimal dose and duration of treatment, and studies that include health outcomes.

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Contact: Robin Mackar rmackar@niehs.nih.gov 919-541-0073 NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Source:Eurekalert

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