New study weighs in on BPA once again

I’ve talked before about the dangers of chemicals and the toxic burden they place on your body.

Now, a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the danger isn’t just for adults. Obese children and adolescents have a higher concentration of bisphenol A (BPA) in their urine than their healthy-weight peers.

BPA, as you may recall from an earlier RHC, is a known endocrine disruptor, and is found in canned foods, liquids packaged in plastic bottles, and other consumer products. Previous studies have found a link between increased urinary BPA and an increased risk for obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and reduced liver function in adults. And considering children often consume more beverages in plastic bottles and eat more food out of cans than adults, perhaps this new study isn’t all that surprising.

But it is a huge public health disaster.

According to the researchers, in previous studies of the U.S. population, BPA has been detected in the urine of 92.6% of people over the age of 6. And they found that urinary BPA concentration was significantly associated with obesity. The more BPA, the greater the likelihood the child would be obese.

This particular study didn’t find any association between other environmental chemicals, such as those found in sunscreens and soaps, and childhood obesity. Though, for the record, that doesn’t qualify those chemicals as “safe.” They just didn’t seem to cause problems this time around.

There is still so much unknown about the toxic wasteland that is the United States of America and the role it plays in our health. However, if we don’t start looking for explanations, we will never find them.

Don’t get me wrong, chemicals have made modern life the way it is. And I couldn’t be communicating with all of you without them.

All I am saying is that I may tolerate them on my computer and smart phone but not in my food supply. Personally, I don’t knowingly drink anything out of plastic. And I always recommend that my patients do the same.

Source:
“Association Between Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration and Obesity Prevalence in Children and Adolescents,” JAMA 2012; 308(11): 1,113-1,121