Maternal Folate Status and the Relation between Gestational Arsenic Exposure and Child Health Outcomes

Marisa A. Patti (), Karl T. Kelsey, Amanda J. MacFarlane, George D. Papandonatos, Tye E. Arbuckle, Jillian Ashley-Martin, Mandy Fisher, William D. Fraser, Bruce P. Lanphear, Gina Muckle and Joseph M. Braun
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Marisa A. Patti: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, 121 S Main St., Providence, RI 02903, USA
Karl T. Kelsey: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, 121 S Main St., Providence, RI 02903, USA
Amanda J. MacFarlane: Nutrition Research Division, Health Canada, 251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
George D. Papandonatos: Department of Biostatistics, Brown University, 121 S Main St., Providence, RI 02903, USA
Tye E. Arbuckle: Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Branch, Health Canada, 50 Colombine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
Jillian Ashley-Martin: Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Branch, Health Canada, 50 Colombine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
Mandy Fisher: Environmental Health Science and Research Bureau, Healthy Environments and Consumer Branch, Health Canada, 50 Colombine Driveway, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K9, Canada
William D. Fraser: Department D’obstétrique et Gynécologie, Université de Sherbrooke, 2500 Bd de L’Université, Sherbrooke, QC J1K 2R1, Canada
Bruce P. Lanphear: Department of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 515 W Haastings St., Vancouver, BC V5A 1S6, Canada
Gina Muckle: School of Psychology, Université Laval, Ville de Québec, 2325 Rue de L’Université, Québec, QC G1V 0B4, Canada
Joseph M. Braun: Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, 121 S Main St., Providence, RI 02903, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-19

Abstract: Gestational arsenic exposure adversely impacts child health. Folate-mediated 1-carbon metabolism facilitates urinary excretion of arsenic and may prevent arsenic-related adverse health outcomes. We investigated the potential for maternal folate status to modify associations between gestational arsenic exposure and child health. We used data from 364 mother–child pairs in the MIREC study, a prospective pan-Canadian cohort. During pregnancy, we measured first trimester urinary arsenic concentrations, plasma folate biomarkers, and folic acid supplementation intake. At age 3 years, we evaluated twelve neurodevelopmental and anthropometric features. Using latent profile analysis and multinomial regression, we developed phenotypic profiles of child health, estimated covariate-adjusted associations between arsenic and these phenotypic profiles, and evaluated whether folate status modified these associations. We identified three phenotypic profiles of neurodevelopment and three of anthropometry, ranging from less to more optimal child health. Gestational arsenic was associated with decreased odds of optimal neurodevelopment. Maternal folate status did not modify associations of arsenic with neurodevelopmental phenotypic profiles, but gestational arsenic was associated with increased odds of excess adiposity among those who exceed recommendations for folic acid (>1000 μ g /day). However, arsenic exposure was low and folate status was high. Gestational arsenic exposure may adversely impact child neurodevelopment and anthropometry, and maternal folate status may not modify these associations; however, future work should examine these associations in more arsenic-exposed or lower folate-status populations.

Keywords: neurodevelopment; anthropometry; phenome; prenatal; arsenic; folate; folic acid (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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