Arsenicosis, the illness due to chronic arsenic toxicity is prevalent in both Nepal and Bangladesh. The occurrence of arsenicosis depends upon many factors including food and nutrition. The objective of this study was to find out any difference of food habits among the arsenic exposed households of both countries and the relationship with the occurrence of arsenicosis. This was a cross-sectional comparative study, conducted among the arsenic exposed rural households of Nawalparasi district in Nepal and Faridpur district in Bangladesh. A total of 190 and 200 female rural households from Nepal and Bangladesh were selected respectively as the respondents. The majority of the respondents of both countries were under the age of 40 years. The prevalence of arsenicosis was found significantly low (χ2 = 8.847; p=.002) among the Nepalese households (7.3%) than that of Bangladeshi households (11.0%). As a staple food, rice, vegetables and pulses were more common among the Nepalese households in comparison to that of Bangladesh (χ2=5.739; p=.017). In addition to staple food Nepalese households were found to take significantly more (p<.05) bread (74.7%), egg (73.2%), milk (68.9%) and fruits (58.4%). In contrast, Bangladeshi households took a little more meat (59.0%) and fish (73.5%). To get arsenic-safe water, 39.5% Bangladeshi households used a filter while a few Nepalese households (2.6%) used that. Nepalese households were found to take more protein and vitamins rich foods as staple food compared to that of Bangladeshi households, which might play a role in the low occurrence of arsenicosis amongst them.

Arsenicosis, the illness due to chronic arsenic toxicity is prevalent in both Nepal and Bangladesh. The occurrence of arsenicosis depends upon many factors including food and nutrition. The objective of this study was to find out any difference of food habits among the arsenic exposed households of both countries and the relationship with the occurrence of arsenicosis. This was a cross-sectional comparative study, conducted among the arsenic exposed rural households of Nawalparasi district in Nepal and Faridpur district in Bangladesh. A total of 190 and 200 female rural households from Nepal and Bangladesh were selected respectively as the respondents. The majority of the respondents of both countries were under the age of 40 years. The prevalence of arsenicosis was found significantly low (χ2 = 8.847; p=.002) among the Nepalese households (7.3%) than that of Bangladeshi households (11.0%). As a staple food, rice, vegetables and pulses were more common among the Nepalese households in comparison to that of Bangladesh (χ2=5.739; p=.017). In addition to staple food Nepalese households were found to take significantly more (p<.05) bread (74.7%), egg (73.2%), milk (68.9%) and fruits (58.4%). In contrast, Bangladeshi households took a little more meat (59.0%) and fish (73.5%). To get arsenic-safe water, 39.5% Bangladeshi households used a filter while a few Nepalese households (2.6%) used that. Nepalese households were found to take more protein and vitamins rich foods as staple food compared to that of Bangladeshi households, which might play a role in the low occurrence of arsenicosis amongst them.
Arsenic ; Arsenic toxicity ; Arsenicosis ; Food ; Nutrition ; Food habit

Exposure to groundwater arsenic contamination has been demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of diabetes mellitus in Bangladesh. But, the association between arsenic exposure and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) in Bangladesh remains to be reported. This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the occurrence of GDM amongst pregnant women from the arsenic contaminated area. A total of 200 pregnant women who were aged 20 years and more, having gestational age more than 21 weeks, and had attended a district hospital for antenatal checkup were selected for the study. Of the total 200 participants, 15.5% were found to have GDM and it was significantly high (p=0.029) in women with higher gestational age. Regarding arsenic exposure, 39.5% of the participants were categorized as arsenic exposed and amongst them the proportion of GDM was found high (20.3%). Binary logistic regression analysis showed that the increase in gestational age and BMI, and a higher level of arsenic in urine of the total participants, had significantly (p<0.05) ability to predict the likelihood of having GDM (1.2, 1.1 and 9.2 times respectively). While logistic regression analysis among the arsenic exposed participants showed that higher level of BMI was 1.2 times and arsenic in urine was 9.4 times likely to predict the likelihood of having GDM. Thus, it was revealed that the increased concentration of arsenic in urine had the strongest ability to predict the likelihood of developing GDM among the pregnant women. The study concluded that the arsenic exposed pregnant women suffered more from GDM compared to the non-exposed pregnant woman.