Arsenic in
drinking water presents a serious public health problem in Serbia, but its relationship with diabetes has not been studied previously. The aim of this study was to explore the association between exposure to
arsenic in
drinking water and the occurrence of
type 2 diabetes in Middle Banat region, Serbia. This cross-sectional study comprised two populations. Exposed population in Middle Banat region consumes
drinking water with
arsenic (mean = 56 μg/L); unexposed population from six regions in Central Serbia consumes
arsenic below detection limit (2 μg/L). Newly diagnosed cases of
type 2 diabetes were obtained from the National Registry of Diabetes in 2008. The Registry included age, gender, family history of diabetes, presence of
overweight,
central obesity,
cholesterol and
triglyceride levels. In addition, the number of cases of diabetes reported in years 2006, 2007 and 2009 was used to calculate standardized incidence rates for both populations. Two populations were comparable by age, family history of diabetes and prevalence of
overweight persons. Unexposed population was more likely to have
central obesity, and high total
cholesterol and
triglycerides. Standardized incidence rates of
type 2 diabetes were higher in exposed population. Odds ratios for
type 2 diabetes were significantly higher for the exposed population, both men and women, in the period from 2006 to 2009, when compared with the unexposed population. The population from Middle Banat region, consuming
drinking water with low levels of
arsenic, was at higher risk for the occurrence of
type 2 diabetes in comparison to the unexposed population in Central Serbia.