A new study published in the
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) has linked the chemical agent bisphenol A (BPA) to obesity in white children and adolescents.
BPA is commonly used to strengthen plastic toys or containers, and shield aluminum cans from corrosion.
According to
Modern Medicine,
investigators analyzed 2,838 children aged 6 through 19 over the course
of five years (2003 -2008). Thirty-four percent of the children were
overweight, while 18% were obese. Researchers measured anything from
the children's physical activity to economic backgrounds.
The Los Angeles Times
reported that researchers found the link for African-Americans and
Latinos was so small, it could have been a chance occurrence. But for
young Caucasians, the association was stronger. African Americans had
some of the highest levels of BPA, yet, there was still an absence of an
association between BPA exposure and obesity. Latinos showed some of
the lowest BPA-exposure readings.
Dr. Leonardo Trasande called the ethnic differences "striking," the Times noted.
"We
know of no behavior in obese white children" that would make them more
prone to weight gain when exposed to BPA than children of other
ethnicities," Trasande said.
So what could be the potential link? Researchers at NYU, the
Times
notes, ponder whether dietary choices may explain the differences in
the ethnic groups' response to the chemical …... or maybe exposure to
BPA as an infant may have more of an effect than exposure later in
childhood.
Public health officials' concern has grown in recent
years, the Times reports, as more evidence supports the notion that BPA
can disrupt hormones and accumulate in the body's fat stores.
