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BPA Substitute Chemicals Linked to Obesity in Children

Urinary BPS concentrations tied to increased prevalence of general, abdominal obesity

THURSDAY, July 25, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) substitute chemicals, bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), is associated with obesity among children, according to a study published online July 25 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Melanie H. Jacobson, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the NYU School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys for 2013 to 2016 to examine the correlations between BPA, BPS, and BPF and body mass outcomes among children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years.

The researchers detected BPA, BPS, and BPF in 97.5, 87.8, and 55.2 percent of urine samples, respectively. There was a correlation for log-transformed urinary BPS concentrations with increased prevalence of general obesity and abdominal obesity (odds ratios, 1.16 and 1.13, respectively). BPF detection versus nondetection correlated with elevated prevalence of abdominal obesity (odds ratio, 1.29) and continuous body mass index z-score (β = 0.10). No significant associations were seen for BPA and total bisphenols with general obesity, abdominal obesity, or any body mass outcome.

“In a previous study, we found that the predecessor chemical to BPS and BPF — BPA — was associated with a higher prevalence obesity in U.S. children, and this study found the same trend among these newer versions of that chemical,” Jacobson said in a statement. “Replacing BPA with similar chemicals does nothing to mitigate the harms chemical exposure has on our health.”

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