Study links chemical BPA to obesity in white children

A study finds young whites with high levels of exposure to bisphenol A are more likely to be obese. For other ethnic groups, the link is weak.

By Melissa Healy, Los Angeles Times

The study on BPA looked at data on diet, exercise and socioeconomic backgrounds… (Trent Penny / Associated…)

Deepening the mystery surrounding the health effects of bisphenol A, a large new study has linked high levels of childhood and adolescent exposure to the industrial chemical to higher rates of obesity — in white children only.

The latest research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn., measured bisphenol A, or BPA, levels in the urine of a diverse group of 2,838 Americans ages 6 to 19. Researchers from New York University also reviewed data on the participants' weight, dietary intake, physical activity and socioeconomic backgrounds.

At first blush, the link between BPA and obesity appeared to be powerful: Compared with children and teens with the lowest apparent exposure to the ubiquitous chemical, those with the highest exposure were roughly 2.5 times more likely to be obese.

But upon further analysis, the researchers found that for African Americans and Latinos, the link was so small it could have been a statistical fluke. And for young Caucasians, the association strengthened: Compared with white children with the least BPA in their urine, those with the most were six times more likely to be obese, the researchers found. READ MORE >>

Phthalates? Unsuspecting Products We Use Everyday That Could Be Making Us Fat!

What you might not know could be making you fat. Leah Zerbe, Online Editor for Rodale.com, has researched this subject extensively and will join Smart Health Talk Thursday, August 30th at 4:00 pm PST so we can better understand how they get in our bodies.

San Bernardino, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/30/2012 -- If taking weight off wasn’t hard enough, the 80,000 or so chemicals used in everything from food to shampoo could be forcing our bodies to do things that can also make us fat. Like we need something that we didn’t even know was there, that can cause us to make more fat cells in our bodies, and not just any fat cells but fat cells that can store even larger amounts of fat, and at a time when we are facing the largest obesity rates in history.

Obesogens as they are called, confuse the body’s nerve centers by sending false messages. They take up docking stations that are only meant for something our body made for that purpose and not outsiders. Their presence prevents insulin and hormones from taking their place and keeps them in the blood at high concentrations. With docking stations full, our bodies are tricked into thinking it should decrease production of key hormones. Low hormone levels can have a negative impact on overall health and the body’s ability to defend itself.

When the docking stations become full from phthalates and take the place of our own hormones, high blood concentration levels of insulin, glucose, and hormones accumulate and can damage vital organs and lead to other disease conditions.

Numerous sources can be identified with high levels found in pesticides on food and personal care products, and even air fresheners and detergents. Packaging can also contribute to phthalate load with chemicals of its own.

Obesogens have been associated with increased cancer risk.

Before this week it was thought that the primary mechanism for phthalate induced breast and prostrate cancer tumors were hormone based. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) had reported that phthalates are known animal endocrine system disruptors.
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