Bisphenol A - BPA and Obesity - Childhood Obesity linked to bisphenol A

"The weight of our nation : India" series part 10 (Factors Affecting Obesity)

PART 10 of the series in

 "The weight of our nation:

     India"

 

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a man-made carbon-based synthetic compound with the chemical formula (CH₃)₂C(C₆H₄OH)₂ belonging to the group of diphenylmethane derivatives and bisphenols.

BPA is generally found in materials made of plastic, such as water bottles, insides of food containers and a variety of commercial goods ( it is used as an antiseptic which helps food preservation, it gets passed on to food without even heating). BPA is being used commercially since 1957. Recent studies have indicated that there is a link between BPA and childhood obesity as it disturbs the delicate balance of estrogen and testosterone in our bodies. A mother’s interaction with this chemical can devastating as the effects may be passed on to even the offspring. The long term effects of BPA are still being studied. Ninety nine percent of BPA found in individuals is due to dietary exposure.

“Studies have implicated exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a commonly used chemical, in the development of obesity.” (1)

BPA is not only linked to Obesity but various disorders and diseases such as cancers, neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and infertility.

The US has recently banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and cups used for children but continue to allow the use of BPA in aluminum cans and other containers as they need further evidence for such banning actions.

“Consistent with other cross-sectional studies, higher urinary BPA concentrations at 9 years of age were associated with increased adiposity at 9 years. However, increasing BPA concentrations in mothers during pregnancy were associated with decreased BMI, body fat, and overweight/obesity among their daughters at 9 years of age.” (2)

Therefore our modern ways which involve plastic in every way have proved to be a contributing factor in obesity and hence the use of plastic is hazardous to our lives as it imitates estrogen, we mush as a result go back to our practices of eating in our traditional ways which involve use of metals, wood and large leaves. There was a time when Indians used to dine in gold and it reflected on their golden health. 

References

(1)  Urinary bisphenol A and obesity in U.S. children.

Bhandari R, Xiao J, Shankar A. Source: Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, West Virginia University, Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, 1 Medical Center Drive, P.O. Box 9190, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA. rbhandari@hsc.wvu.edu

  

(2)  Prenatal and postnatal bisphenol A exposure and body mass index in childhood in the CHAMACOS cohort.

Harley KG, Aguilar Schall R, Chevrier J, Tyler K, Aguirre H, Bradman A, Holland NT, Lustig RH, Calafat AM, Eskenazi B. Source: Center for Environmental Research and Children's Health, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California 94704, USA. kharley@berkeley.edu                                                        http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23416456