Higher concentrations of urinary bisphenol A (BPA), a common product used in food packaging, have been linked to obesity in adolescents and children, according to a recent study published in the September 19 issue of JAMA.

The researchers, from NYU School of Medicine, said that the synthetic chemical, which has been banned by the FDA from being used in children’s bottles and sippy cups, is still being used as a coating inside of aluminum cans and food packaging. Plastic bottles that have the label containing the number 7 recycle logo also contain BPA.

Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP, an associate professor of pediatrics and environmental medicine, commented:

“This is the first association of an environmental chemical in childhood obesity in a large, nationally representative sample. Our findings further demonstrate the need for a broader paradigm in the way we think about the obesity epidemic. Unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity certainly contribute to increased fat mass, but the story clearly doesn’t end there.”

Trials have revealed that BPA interferes with the workings of metabolisms in humans, therefore possibly increasing body mass. However, the manufacturers are claiming it works as an antiseptic.

Exposure to BPA has been linked in the past to breast cancer, prostate cancer, infertility, neurological conditions, prostate cancer and cardiovascular disease. A 2011 study, published in Pediatrics, claimed that BPA exposure in the womb can result in behavioral problems in young girls.

The experts continued:

“In the U.S. population, exposure is nearly ubiquitous, with 92.6 percent of persons 6 years or older identified in the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) as having detectable BPA levels in their urine. A comprehensive, cross-sectional study of dust, indoor and outdoor air, and solid and liquid food in preschool-aged children suggested that dietary sources constitute 99 percent of BPA exposure.”

The recent study involved 3,000 six to nineteen year old children and adolescents who were chosen randomly for a calculation of urinary BPA concentration by Dr. Trasande and his colleagues Teresa Attina, MD, PhD, MPH, and Jan Blustein, MD, PhD. The team analyzed whether urinary BPA concentrations and body mass were associated with one another.

The experts adjusted for factors, including:

  • gender
  • age
  • ethnicity
  • caloric intake
  • how often the children watched t.v.
  • ratio of income to poverty
  • education of caregivers
  • serum cotinine levels
  • urinary creatinine levels

The results determined that the individuals with high urinary BPA levels were at a 2.6 times higher risk of being obese than the children and adolescents who had the lowest urinary BPA measurements. 22.3% of those with the highest levels were obese, while only 10.3% of the ones with the lowest measurements of urinary BPA were.

Later analyzation of these results revealed that this link was more prevalent in white adolescents and children, and obesity was not linked to contact with different environmental phenols found in different products, such as soap and sunscreen.

“Most people agree the majority of BPA exposure in the United States comes from aluminum cans. This data adds to already existing concerns about BPA and further supports the call to limit exposure of BPA in this country, especially with children. Removing it from aluminum cans is probably one of the best ways we can limit exposure. There are alternatives that manufacturers can use to line aluminum cans,” explained Trasande.

The scientists wrote that policy makers have had concerns about BPA exposure for a long time, and that it needs to be dealt with, saying: “We note the recent FDA ban of BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups, yet out findings raise questions about exposure to BPA in consumer products used by older children.”

Last year, the FDA declined to ban BPA in aluminum cans and other food packaging, announcing ‘reasonable steps to reduce human exposure to BPA in the human food supply’ and noting that it will continue to consider evidence on the safety of the chemical. Carefully conducted longitudinal studies that assess the associations identified here will yield evidence many years in the future.”

Written by Christine Kearney