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Multicenter Study
. 2019 Sep 1;188(9):1655-1665.
doi: 10.1093/aje/kwz137.

Rice Consumption and Subclinical Lung Disease in US Adults: Observational Evidence From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Tiffany R Sanchez, Elizabeth C Oelsner, David J Lederer, Christian M Lo Cascio, Miranda R Jones, Maria Grau-Perez, Kevin A Francesconi, Walter Goessler, Matthew S Perzanowski, R Graham Barr, Ana Navas-Acien
Multicenter Study

Rice Consumption and Subclinical Lung Disease in US Adults: Observational Evidence From the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Tiffany R Sanchez et al. Am J Epidemiol. .

Abstract

Rice accumulates arsenic, an established lung toxicant. Little is known about the association of rice consumption with arsenic-related health effects, particularly interstitial lung disease. Between 2000 and 2002, 6,814 white, black, Hispanic, and Chinese adults from 6 US cities were enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. We included 2,250 participants who had spirometry data, 2,557 with full-lung computed tomography (CT) scans, and 5,710 with cardiac CT scans. Rice consumption and 310 participants with urinary arsenic were assessed at baseline. Spirometry and full-lung CT-derived measures of total lung capacity and high attenuation area (HAA), and interstitial lung abnormalities were measured at examination 5. Cardiac CT-derived HAA was measured at 1-3 visits. Twelve percent of participants reported eating at least 1 serving of rice daily. Comparing data between that group with those who ate less than 1 serving weekly, the mean difference for forced vital capacity was -102 (95% confidence interval (CI): -198, -7) mL, and for forced expiratory volume in 1 second was -90 (95% CI: -170, -11) mL after adjustment for demographics, anthropometrics, dietary factors, and smoking. The cross-sectional adjusted percent difference for total lung capacity was -1.33% (95% CI: -4.29, 1.72) and for cardiac-based HAA was 3.66% (95% CI: 1.22, 6.15). Sensitivity analyses for urinary arsenic were consistent with rice findings. Daily rice consumption was associated with reduced lung function and greater cardiac-based HAA.

Keywords: Oryza; arsenic; interstitial lung disease; spirometry.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Sample size flow charts for analyses based on rice consumption and urine arsenic levels in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). A) A total of 6,814 participants were recruited to MESA between 2000 and 2002. Rice intake was assessed via food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) at baseline and examination 5. Participants missing rice intake data (n = 658 excluded), with unreliable dietary information (n = 438 excluded), or missing adjustment variable data (n = 8 missing education) at baseline were excluded. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans were used to estimate percent high attenuation area (HAA) longitudinally. A full-lung CT scan was conducted at examination 5 among 3,113 participants and used to assess HAA and total lung capacity (TLC) cross-sectionally (excluding 368 participants missing rice intake data, 185 with unreliable dietary information, 2 missing weight data, and 1 missing education data). Interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) were also read from full-lung CT scans among 2,420 participants (excluding 226 missing rice intake data, 154 with unreliable dietary information, 15 missing weight data, and 1 missing education data). Spirometry (forced vital capacity in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and FEV1-to-FVC ratio) was performed as part of the MESA Lung Study at examination 5 among 2,741 participants (excluding 322 missing rice intake data, 162 unreliable dietary information, 6 with poor spirometry results, and 1 missing education data). Serum biomarkers, including surfactant protein-A and matrix metalloproteinase-7, were measured in 1,228 participants at baseline (excluding 118 missing rice data, 93 with unreliable dietary information, and 1 missing education data). B) Urine arsenic (As) was measured in a stratified random sample of 310 participants at baseline. Among participants with urinary arsenic, data for those with cardiac CT scans, serum biomarkers, spirometry, and full-lung CT scans are shown in the figure.
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