Groundwater Chemistry and Blood Pressure: A Cross-Sectional Study in Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: We assessed the association of groundwater chemicals with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Methods: Blood pressure data for ≥35-year-olds were from the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey in 2011. Groundwater chemicals in 3534 well water samples from Bangladesh were measured by the British Geological Survey (BGS) in 1998–1999. Participants who reported groundwater as their primary source of drinking water were assigned chemical measures from the nearest BGS well. Survey-adjusted linear regression methods were used to assess the association of each groundwater chemical with the log-transformed blood pressure of the participants. Models were adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking status, geographical region, household wealth, rural or urban residence, and educational attainment, and further adjusted for all other groundwater chemicals. Results: One standard deviation (SD) increase in groundwater magnesium was associated with a 0.992 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.986, 0.998) geometric mean ratio (GMR) of SBP and a 0.991 (95% CI: 0.985, 0.996) GMR of DBP when adjusted for covariates except groundwater chemicals. When additionally adjusted for groundwater chemicals, one SD increase in groundwater magnesium was associated with a 0.984 (95% CI: 0.972, 0.997) GMR of SBP and a 0.990 (95% CI: 0.979, 1.000) GMR of DBP. However, associations were attenuated following Bonferroni-correction for multiple chemical comparisons in the full-adjusted model. Groundwater concentrations of calcium, potassium, silicon, sulfate, barium, zinc, manganese, and iron were not associated with SBP or DBP in the full-adjusted models. Conclusions: Groundwater magnesium had a weak association with lower SBP and DBP of the participants.

Associations of exposure to multiple metals with blood pressure and hypertension: A cross-sectional study in Chinese preschool children

“…Meanwhile, a review of the health impacts of barium spanning from 1875 to 2014 demonstrated that low and moderate doses of Ba caused elevated blood pressure in animal studies [16]. However, there was a null association of Ba concentrations with SBP or DBP levels [42]. In this study, an inverse association between urinary Ba concentrations and blood pressure levels and hypertension risk was found.…”

Associations of drinking rainwater with macro-mineral intake and cardiometabolic health: a pooled cohort analysis in Bangladesh, 2016–2019

“…The higher cardiometabolic disease risks among the rainwater drinkers compared with coastal groundwater are likely due to reduced intake of Ca, Mg and K. We elsewhere reported that groundwater minerals influence blood pressure of the Bangladeshi population 31 , and the blood pressure-lowering effects of Ca and Mg from drinking water overweighed the blood pressurepromoting effects of Na 32 , which explains the lower blood pressure among groundwater drinkers compared with rainwater drinkers. The findings from this study have likely generalizable implications in other saline-water-affected coastal regions, where rainwater and desalinated water without mineral fortification are being promoted to mitigate water salinity problems.…”

Modeling the Relationship of Groundwater Salinity to Neonatal and Infant Mortality From the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey 2000 to 2014

“…A study in coastal Bangladesh found drinking mild‐saline water was associated with higher urinary concentrations of calcium, magnesium, and sodium compared to freshwater drinkers (Naser et al, ). Magnesium in groundwater was associated with lower blood pressure of the Bangladeshi population (Naser et al, ). Studies suggest that bioavailability of essential dissolved elements from drinking water is very high (World Health Organization (WHO), ), and some populations in coastal Bangladesh can get up to 50% of their daily calcium and magnesium requirement by drinking 2 L of groundwater (Hoque & Butler, ).…”