Obesity in Puberty Aged Teen Girls Tied to BPA Exposure

Harmful chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can place puberty-aged girls at higher risks of obesity, researchers reveal.

BPA is a chemical found in many plastic bottles and beverage cans. It has been linked to health issues such as cancer, neurological issues, heart disease and reproductive problems. About 5 or 6 million pounds of bisphenol is produced every year, worldwide, according to a report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Exposure to the chemical occurs through ingestion of foods in contact with the BPA containing materials. Direct oral contact or hand-to-mouth contact with the chemical containing material put small children at a risk of the chemical exposure.

For the study, researchers from Kaiser Permanente looked at more than 1,300 children studying in grades 4 to 12. Urine samples of the participants were tested to measure BPA levels. Apart from that, information about the children's diet, mental health, family history of obesity and physical activity were also taken into consideration. Of the total participants, 36 percent teen girls entering puberty with high levels of BPA in urine were obese or overweight.

Dr. De-Kun Li and colleagues found that girls entering the puberty age were more sensitive to the chemical exposure, further disrupting their ability to balance energy and fat metabolism.

Girls having equal to or higher than 10 micrograms per liter BPA in urine were found at five time higher risks of being placed in the top 10^th percentile of body weight while girls with BPA levels of 2 micrograms per liter or higher had double risks of putting on unnecessary weight than their peers.

However, girls aged above 12 and boys were not affected by the BPA exposure.

"Our study suggests that BPA could be a potential new environmental obesogen, a chemical compound that can disrupt the normal development and balance of lipid metabolism, which can lead to obesity," the authors, wrote, according to a news release. "Worldwide exposure to BPA in the human population may be contributing to the worldwide obesity epidemic."

The study published in the journal PLOS ONE, supports a Sep.2012 study reported in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association that found that children, with highest level of BPA, were obese (22.3 percent) compared to children with lowest levels (10.3 percent).

Debate about the safety of the controversial chemical has been prevalent from a long time. Previous studies have shown the chemical contributing to childhood asthma; heart and kidney disease in children; affecting mental health; increasing risks of miscarriages, birth defects; disrupting thyroid functioning in pregnant women and their babies.