...In girls ages 9 to 12, a higher urine concentration of the plastic component bisphenol-A (BPA) was more likely to put them in the 90th percentile on weight charts, researchers found.
A urine BPA concentration of 2 mcg/L or greater was tied to more than twofold increased odds (adjusted OR 2.32, 95% CI 1.15-4.65) of having weight higher than the 90th percentile for age, according to De-Kun Li, MD, PhD, of Kaiser Foundation Research Institute in Oakland, Calif., and colleagues.
The relationship between urine BPA concentration and overweight was significantly linear (P=0.006), they wrote online in PLOS ONE.
The authors noted that "the rapid increase in the prevalence of obesity/overweight in countries with differing dietary styles and patterns of physical activity suggests the possible existence of other environmental risk factors," which they labeled "environmental obesogens." BPA has been identified as one such environmental obesogen due to animal studies that have linked exposure with obesity, they wrote.
The study analyzed the relationship between urine BPA concentration and obesity among 1,326 school-age children as part of a larger national Chinese study of adolescent pubertal development and health.
In addition to anthropometric measures and questions about development, the researchers added questions about obesity risks and collected additional urine samples, which were used to measure BPA concentrations. The authors also gathered data on weight, height, hip circumference, waist circumference, and skinfold thickness.
Overweight was defined as 90th percentile for age- and gender-specific weight distributions, but the authors also looked at the other physiologic measures and body mass index as indicators of overweight and obesity.
Participants also answered a 24-question food questionnaire and submitted information on physical activity, parental overweight, and depression inventory status.
....In a comparison between those with and without high concentrations of BPA in urine, high BPA concentration was significantly associated with larger hip circumference, though there were no other significant associations for size measures with BPA concentration.
Please read full By Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today
Urine Bisphenol-A Level in Relation to Obesity and Overweight in School-Age Children
Abstract
Bisphenol-A (BPA) is a potential endocrine disruptor impacting metabolic processes and increasing the risk of obesity. To determine whether urine BPA level is associated with overweight/obesity in school-age children, we examined 1,326 students in grades 4â€"12 from three schools (one elementary, one middle, and one high school) in Shanghai. More than 98% of eligible students participated. Total urine BPA concentration was measured and anthropometric measures were taken by trained research staff. Information on risk factors for childhood obesity was collected for potential confounders. Age- and gender-specific weight greater than 90th percentile of the underlying population was the outcome measure. After adjustment for potential confounders, a higher urine BPA level (≥2 µg/L), at the level corresponding to the median urine BPA level in the U.S. population, was associated with more than two-fold increased risk of having weight >90th percentile among girls aged 9â€"12 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 2.32, 95% confidence interval: 1.15â€"4.65). The association showed a dose-response relationship with increasing urine BPA level associated with further increased risk of overweight (p = 0.006 for trend test). Other anthropometric measures of obesity showed similar results. The same association was not observed among boys. This gender difference of BPA effect was consistent with findings from experimental studies and previous epidemiological studies. Our study suggests that BPA could be a potential new environmental obesogen. Widespread exposure to BPA in the human population may also be contributing to the worldwide obesity epidemic.
Citation:Â Li D-K, Miao M, Zhou Z, Wu C, Shi H, et al. (2013) Urine Bisphenol-A Level in Relation to Obesity and Overweight in School-Age Children. PLoS ONE 8(6): e65399. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0065399
Editor:Â Susanne Breuer Votruba, NIDDK/NIH, United States of America
