Examination of the impact of environmental and dietary exposures on the health of Puerto Ricans

Abstract

Background: Puerto Ricans face health disparities when compared with both non-Hispanics whites as well as compared to other Hispanic subgroups. Although little research has been done specifically on this minority group, other research has shown that environmental and dietary exposures differ by ethic and minority groups and results in disparate health outcomes. We investigate how air pollution and diet impact health as well as the two health intermediates: urinary biomarkers and the gut microbiome.Methods: A variety of methods were employed to access the relationships of air pollution, and diet and cognition, urinary phthalate metabolites and the composition of the gut microbiome, respectively.Linear models were used for association analyses using two prospective cohorts of Puerto Ricans, from northern Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Testsite for Exploring Contamination Threats) and the greater Boston area (Boston Puerto Rican Health Study). From the latter we recruited participants, collected and processed stool samples to characterize their gut microbiome. Linear models and the analyses of the gut microbiome adjusted or stratified by demographic, socioeconomic and health variables. Results:We observed that among our cohort of pregnant women in Puerto Rico, those who more frequently consumed milk, cheese, rice, bread, soft drink, fruit drinks, and dined out had higher levels of several urinary phthalate metabolites, while those who consumed more yogurt, egg and starch had lower levels across metabolites. Within the cohort of older Puerto Rican in Boston we found significant associations for the fine particulate (PM 2.5 ) components, black carbon (BC) and nickel (Ni), across five cognitive domains. Additionally, within the subset of this cohort used for the pilot study, we found that the gut microbiome was dominated by the phylum Firmicutes, while having an average relative abundance of Bacteroidetes lower than that of other studies on both white and Hispanic populations.Conclusions: Consistent significant associations were found for dietary items and urinary phthalate metabolites, BC and Ni and cognitive health, as well as the first characterization of the gut microbiome of elderly Puerto Ricans. These results further the research on health disparities for Puerto Ricans. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:My immense gratitude goes to many vital researchers who were generous with their time and were both the reason I chose research, as well as the reason I stuck with research. Firstly to Dr.Helen Suh, who took me on as mentee at the very start of my PhD, and even despite moving on from Northeastern has continued to guide me and inspire me to be a better researcher. Her work ethic is beyond comprehension, but she still finds time to teach me life lessons and care about my current and future well being.To Dr. Akram Alshawabkeh, who also brought me into his research group and entrusted me the responsibility to be a health research leader. He has shown the utmost patience and generosity by giving me the space to work on my thesis a...