The association between chronic arsenic exposure and type 2 diabetes: A metaanalysis

An association has been reported between chronic arsenic exposure and type 2 diabetes (T2D), although the evidence is still inconclusive. We incorporated 27 studies in the analysis including 15 cross-sectional, four case-control, and three cohort studies reporting OR, and three cross-sectional and two cohort studies reporting RR. The pooled OR estimate was 1.58 (95% CI: 1.35, 1.84), and the pooled RR was 1.28 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.59). The overall pooled estimate was 1.50 (95% CI: 1.33, 1.69). The between-study heterogeneity was high (I2 = 75.5%). We did not observe any significant dose-response association and there was no evidence of publication bias in this study. Overall, this metaanalysis suggests that chronic arsenic exposure is likely to increase the risk of T2D. However, this finding is limited by high between-study heterogeneity. Therefore, the hypothesized association needs further validation through well-conducted large prospective cohort studies with better exposure assessment.