BPA linked with Heart Disease, Diabetes - what’s the truth?
Bisphenol A, commonly known as BPA, is used extensively in epoxy resins lining food and beverage container and in consumer products that range from baby bottles to the ubiquitous water bottles you see everyone totting around at the gym. Because low dose BPA exposure has been linked with cancers in animal models there has been mounting concern over this ever present chemical. Enter this recent study from JAMA which found that higher urinary concentrations of BPA were linked with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and liver enzyme abnormalities. So is BPA the reason for the rising heart disease and diabetes rates in this country?
In a word… or a couple of words… Not likely. Yes there are serious health concerns with BPA and it is wise to be concerned about any material our bodies were never designed to handle. But is this the “smoking gun”, the “missing link?” NO. Remember this study shows an association not a “cause and effect.” Also, heart disease, diabetes and liver enzyme abnormalities are all seen with more over weight people with advancing BMIs. If you notice on the table below from the study, higher urinary BPA concentrations are seen with higher BMIs.
While the BPA -heart disease, diabetes, liver enzyme link is plausible, it’s much more likely that this can be explained by obesity itself. And I would argue that higher urinary BPA is a marker for processed food consumption and not the “smoking gun.” The more processed foods a person consumes, the more overweight they become with increasing BMI, the higher their urinary BPA, and the more likely they develop heart disease, diabetes, liver enzyme etc.
Fact is, I bet if these researchers tested participants for urinary concentrations of any other chemical commonly found in the lining of food and beverage containers the results would be no different. So what this study really highlights are not the health risks of BPA, but the health risks of processed foods. And that’s my two cents on this study.
Popularity: 4% [?]
Affiliates
Loading ...
JC (59 comments)
Israel (32 comments)
Zara (13 comments)
Marge Clark (11 comments)
erika (10 comments)
1 comment
This is in JAMA? No offense, but does JAMA think doctors are stupid? I’m a peon and if I can explain this fallacy better, JAMA is in trouble.
It is highly unlikely that BPA causes diabetes or heart related diseases because:
1) Diabetes is more of an “insulin malfunction”, either caused by the pancrea’s inability to produce enough insulin (Type 1) or the insulin’s inability to absorb glucose (Type 2). Think of insulin as a protective shell or “an escort”. Glucose is dangerous when unescorted inside the body. When glucose comes into contact with the nerves for instance, glucose can damage them, making this person less susceptible to pain. And without the feeling of pain, it puts one at a great risk by hurting him or herself. It is also one of the top reasons diabetics need foot amputation. So, no BPA is involved here.
2) Heart disease is more of blood flow related issue caused by blood clots, heart valves malfunctions, buildup of plaques, artery clogs, etc. No BPA is involved here either.
So, what’s this mystery about BPA and the urine? Well, it’s meaningless because if the BPA has a smaller molecular weight than a protein, the BPA will pass through the glomerili and out into the urine. A glomerili is like a mesh that prevents protein from leaking into the urine. If the mesh is damaged, hormones, proteins, BPA, etc. will leak out the urine. And a damaged glomerili is not uncommon. According to the National Kidney Foundation, 26 millions American have some form of chronic kidney disease (damaged glomerili ), and another 20 million are at risk.
http://www.kidney.org/kidneyDisease/ckd/index.cfm
Leave a Comment