High levels of BPA linked to obesity in kids, teens
Kids with higher levels of the widely used substance BPA in their bodies are more likely to be obese, according to the first large-scale, nationally representative study to link an environmental chemical with obesity in children and teens.
Researchers from the NYU School of Medicine acknowledge that their study's design doesn't allow them to definitely conclude that BPA, or bisphenol A, caused the children's obesity.
But the findings, in Tuesday's Journal of the American Medical Association, add to a growing body of research questioning BPA's safety, says Leonardo Trasande, the study's main author.
In particular, the study adds to the notion that certain chemicals are "obesogens" that alter the body's metabolism, which makes it harder for people to lose weight, even with diet and exercise, says Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, who was not involved in the study. "Are we programming people to fail?" she asks.
Exposure to BPA -- an estrogen-like chemical used in everything from plastic water bottles to the linings of metal cans and even the coatings on certain paper receipts -- is nearly ubiquitous. More than 92% of Americans over the age of 6 have detectable levels of the compound in their blood, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.
The new study drew on CDC surveys of 2,838 children and teens, ages 6 to 19. Trasande found that more than 22% of those with the highest BPA levels in their urine were obese, compared with 10% of those with the lowest levels.
A study published last year, also based on CDC data, found similar patterns of obesity among American adults exposed to BPA.
To make sure their results were reliable, authors of the new study weighed other important considerations: children's races, ages, household incomes, sexes, exposure to tobacco, number of calories consumed each day and number of hours spent watching TV.
Their results held up only for white children. In blacks and Hispanics, further analysis showed that the link between BPA and obesity could be a result of chance.
It's possible that obese children consume more BPA, such as through canned soda, Trasande says. It's also possible that obese children have higher BPA levels because the chemical is stored in, and later released from, fat.
The Food and Drug Administration banned BPA in baby bottles and sippy cups in July.
Pediatric endocrinologist Larry Deeb of Tallahassee, who specializes in treating obesity, suggests that parents buy only plastic sports bottles that are BPA-free and avoid buying canned soups and vegetables. "The conclusion seems to be to avoid BPA as much as possible."
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