Urinary concentrations of two chemicals commonly found in food packaging -- bisphenol A (BPA) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) -- were associated with risks for obesity in children and insulin resistance in teens, two studies showed.
In one study, greater urinary concentration of BPA, commonly found in food and drink packaging, was significantly associated with higher risk of body mass index (BMI) in the 95th percentile or greater, as well as greater odds of an abnormal waist circumference-to-height ratio, according to Joyce Lee, MD, of the Child Health Evaluation and Research Unit at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues.
Another study of adolescent exposure to the plasticizer di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) showed that each three-fold increased concentration of the chemical in urine was associated with a 27% increased risk for insulin resistance, reportedLeonardo Trasande, MD, of New York University's Langone Medical Center in New York City, and colleagues. Both studies appear in the journalPediatrics.
DEHP is another chemical compound found in plastics used in the manufacture of food and drink containers.
Past research has linked BPA exposure with elevated weight in girls, raised testosterone concentrations in men, altered thyroid function in pregnant women and their children, and early risks for later-life kidney and cardiovascular disease in kids and teens.
In July 2013, the FDA issued a ban on BPA in infant formula packaging.
Lee and colleagues evaluated the relationship between concentrations of BPA in urine with adiposity measures, cholesterol, insulin, and glucose in a population of 3,370 children and adolescents, ages 6 to 18, whose data were available through NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) from 2003 to 2010.