NEED TO KNOW
- BPA used to strengthen plastic toys or containers, shield aluminum cans from corrosion
- BPA and obesity more prevalent in white children than in black or Hispanic participants
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.
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.
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