This plastic additive has been linked to a host of hormonal problems, including early onset of puberty in girls, low sperm count, and even poses a carcinogenic threat with ties to breast cancer. In utero exposure has been linked to obesity. BPA is present is traceable amounts in 95% of Americans.
That last statistic should be most troubling for us, not only because it's totally freaky. Actually, a new study has found that BPA at levels commonly found in our bodies, may cause heart attacks.
The Technicalities.
The plastic additive bisphenol-A is an endocrine disruptor because it mimics estrogen. Turns out, it also suppresses levels of a hormone, adiponectin, that protects us from heart attacks and Type II diabetes. This hormone is secreted by fat cells and protects people from developing metabolic syndrome by sensitizing their bodies to insulin.
Researchers compared BPA's effect to that of estradiol, a natural form of human estrogen. Studying the effects of both BPA and estradiol on human fat samples (in case you're eating, I'll spare you the details), researchers found that BPA had a similar effect to estradiol on the helpful hormone adiponectin, and in some cases had a stronger suppressing effect. Said the researchers:
Thus, any factor which suppresses adiponectin release could lead to insulin resistance and increased susceptibility to obesity-associated diseases.
They also found that effects of BPA didn't stop with a drop off in levels, in the normal fashion that estradiol did. BPA actually had its strongest effect (50%) at 1 part per billion, where estradiol's effect had dropped to 25%. In layman's terms: bisphenol-A doesn't follow the "normal" pattern of toxins, which drop off after time. It bounces up over time, then takes more time to "level off."
The other issue is that most Americans have levels of BPA in our systems that would cause these heartbreaking, sugar-raising results. If you are lucky enough to have a high level of BPA (yippee!), these particular metabolic problems would disappear. (But don't worry; you'll still be in the running for all those fabulous neural and carcinogenic problems.)
Environmental Health Services reports:
These results show that BPA at levels well-within the range of common human exposure suppress levels of a hormone that protects people from metabolic syndrome and its consequences: heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. The effects were seen in all three types of tissues examined.
Notice, please, that most of the problems with BPA we've mentioned in our many blogs on the subject have related to children and BPA's developmental effects. This study shows that BPA is a serious problem for all of us, not just the kiddies. While you may be handing your tot a stainless steel sippy but drinking out of a clear plastic water bottle yourself, you're causing possible long-term health issues.
Do you hear us, dear FDA? This study follows on the heels of the FDA again declaring bisphenol-A "safe." In April, the National Toxicology Program, a part of the National Institutes of Health, said that there was "some concern" for behavioral and neural problems for fetuses exposed to BPA. The FDA countered just a month later with a report to a Senate subcommittee that stated that
exposure levels to BPA from [food contact] materials, including exposure to infants and children, are below those that may cause health effects.
In May, it agreed to review BPA in the future. Well, it's the future, and again, the FDA stands by its previous assessment, despite a wealth of studies that suggest the chemical is unsafe.
Environmental groups mimic parents' collective outrage. Said Pete Myers, chief scientist for Environmental Health Sciences,
It's ironic FDA would choose to ignore dozens of studies funded by (the National Institutes of Health) — this country's best scientists — and instead rely on flawed studies from industry.
Don't worry about it, folks. The FDA says everything is okay. BPA is safe.
Yep! Safe like Vioxx!
|