Even at Low Levels, Early Bisphenol A (BPA) Exposure Is Hazardous to Later Health, Study Shows
Early exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase your risk of developing conditions such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and obesity later in life, even in small doses, a recent study has found.
BPA is a type of chemical widely found in consumer and industrial products, especially in processed food and food packaging. An endocrine disruptor, it is known to cause hormonal problems that contribute to chronic disease as you age.
The study, published [September 2024] in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, is the first of its kind to assess the relationship between BPA exposure and cardiometabolic health outcomes from childhood to adolescence, using a large variety of health markers.
Cardiometabolic health refers to the overall health of your heart and blood vessels, and your body’s ability to process nutrients, regulate blood sugar, and maintain a healthy weight.
“Our results point to the need to reduce exposure to BPA in the early stages of life,” say the researchers, led by Sofia Almeida Costa at the Institute of Public Health at the University of Porto (ISPUP) in Portugal.
To gauge its effects on the body from dietary sources over time, Costa and her colleagues followed 3,138 children and adolescents, ages 4 to 13, from a prospective Portuguese birth cohort.