A pregnant woman’s exposure to the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) can raise her baby’s risk of obesity by reducing sensitivity to a hormone responsible for controlling appetite, according to new research.
BPA, a chemical which is widely used in products such as reusable water bottles, food can linings, water pipes and dental sealants, can interfere with the endocrine system by mimicking estrogen, one of the main sex hormones found in women.
Research indicates BPA exposure is nearly universal. More than ninety percent of people tested in population studies had detectable levels of BPA and compounds produced when it is metabolised by the body in their urine.
Dr. Scott Belcher, who has carried out previous research into BPA says that the chemical has been shown to affect reproduction and brain development in animal studies,
“There is a large body of scientific evidence demonstrating the harmful effects of very small amounts of BPA in laboratory and animal studies, but little clinical evidence related to humans. There is a very strong suspicion in the scientific community, however, that this chemical has harmful effects on humans.”
Now, the latest study into the effects of bisphenol A has found that mice born to mothers exposed to the chemical were less responsive to the hormone leptin, which helps inhibit the appetite by reducing hunger pangs when the body does not need energy. The hormone sends signals to the hypothalamus region of the brain to suppress the appetite. The study’s senior author, Dr. Alfonso Abizaid of the Department of Neuroscience at Carleton University in Canada, says BPA exposure permanently alters the rodents’ neurobiology,
“Our findings show that bisphenol A can promote obesity in mice by altering the hypothalamic circuits in the brain that regulate feeding behavior and energy balance. Low level prenatal exposure to BPA delays a surge of leptin after birth that allows mice to develop the proper response to the hormone.
BPA exposure permanently alters the neurobiology in the affected mice, making them prone to obesity as adults.”
The researchers also found that mice exposed to BPA before birth had reduced fiber density and less activity in the parts of their brains involved in regulating energy expenditure,
“This study improves our understanding of how BPA can disrupt the endocrine system in a manner that raises the risk of obesity in animals.
Since BPA has also been linked to obesity in humans, people need to be aware that environmental factors can lead to increased susceptibility to obesity and cardio-metabolic disorders.”
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