**Health Risks**

**Chapter 4**

**Provisional chapter**

**Food and Water Security as Determinants of the**

**Food and Water Security as Determinants of the** 

**in Water**

**in Water**

Rebeca Monroy-Torres

Rebeca Monroy-Torres

**Abstract**

**1. Introduction**

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76977

**Mitigation of Health Risks Due to Exposure to Arsenic**

**Mitigation of Health Risks Due to Exposure to Arsenic** 

Exposure to arsenic is a global public health problem, and the effects on health are several from cancer to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The metabolism and excretion depends on having a good nutritional status and the latter of an adequate diet. It is known that the consumption of certain trace elements and nutrients intervene in the metabolism, in the excretion and in the protection of the adverse effects that the metalloid has on the organism. The amount of proteins consumed, the type of amino acids such as cysteine, methionine; vitamins such as C, thiamin, vitamin B12, folic acid, minerals such as calcium and other nutrients such as fiber have been studied and associated with a lower concentration of As in blood and urine, as well as minor dermatological lesions as well as other organs and systems. A study by Monroy-Torres et al. (2018, *in press*), in adolescents exposed to As in water, found greater excretion of As with a 4-week vitamin supplementation, increasing iron levels, after the intervention. Reason for which this chapter, shows a review of the main evidence of health impact indicators that can lead to mitigate the effects of exposure to As across to

promote food security, access to cleaner drinking water and good nutrition.

**1.1. Food and water security: an era of sustainable development**

**Keywords:** food security, water security, nutrients, vitamins, nutritional status

With the demographic growth, the lack of a culture of water care and the overexploitation of aquifers, the problems of higher levels of arsenic in water for human consumption have

> © 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76977

#### **Food and Water Security as Determinants of the Mitigation of Health Risks Due to Exposure to Arsenic in Water Food and Water Security as Determinants of the Mitigation of Health Risks Due to Exposure to Arsenic in Water**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.76977

#### Rebeca Monroy-Torres Rebeca Monroy-Torres

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.76977

#### **Abstract**

Exposure to arsenic is a global public health problem, and the effects on health are several from cancer to metabolic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. The metabolism and excretion depends on having a good nutritional status and the latter of an adequate diet. It is known that the consumption of certain trace elements and nutrients intervene in the metabolism, in the excretion and in the protection of the adverse effects that the metalloid has on the organism. The amount of proteins consumed, the type of amino acids such as cysteine, methionine; vitamins such as C, thiamin, vitamin B12, folic acid, minerals such as calcium and other nutrients such as fiber have been studied and associated with a lower concentration of As in blood and urine, as well as minor dermatological lesions as well as other organs and systems. A study by Monroy-Torres et al. (2018, *in press*), in adolescents exposed to As in water, found greater excretion of As with a 4-week vitamin supplementation, increasing iron levels, after the intervention. Reason for which this chapter, shows a review of the main evidence of health impact indicators that can lead to mitigate the effects of exposure to As across to promote food security, access to cleaner drinking water and good nutrition.

**Keywords:** food security, water security, nutrients, vitamins, nutritional status
