January 20, 2015

Source: Endocrine Society

Summary: According to a new study, exposure to the endocrine disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) during pregnancy can cause oxidative stress (also known as oxidative stress). ) leads to an increased risk of fetal diabetes or heart disease later in life , published in the journal Endocrinology .

Bisphenol A is a chemical used to produce epoxy resins and resins. BPA is found in a wide variety of consumer products, including plastic bottles, food containers and bills. Research indicates that BPA is an endocrine disruptor because it has a similar chemical structure, and it blocks or affects the body’s hormones. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that more than 96% of Americans have BPA in their bodies.

Oxidative stress occurs when the body is exposed to high concentrations of free radicals – highly reactive chemicals capable of damaging cells. production of free radicals and the action of antioxidants) – and the body cannot neutralize them fast enough to restore balance. Some environmental toxins such as cigarette smoke, ionizing radiation or some metals contain large amounts of free radicals or some other effect causes the body to produce more free radicals, information from the Institute of National Cancer Institute of the US National Institutes of Health.

“This study provides the first evidence that BPA exposure during pregnancy can induce a specific type of oxidative stress called nitrosative stress in both mother and child,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Vasantha Padmanabhan of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “Oxidative stress is associated with inflammation and insulin resistance, which are risk factors for diabetes and other metabolic disorders as well as cardiovascular disease.”

The researchers analyzed blood samples from 24 mother-child pairs, looking at the effects of BPA exposure. The women had blood drawn during the first trimester of pregnancy to measure BPA levels. And they were divided into two groups – those with low blood BPA levels and those with higher levels. The researchers also took blood samples from the umbilical cord postpartum and measured the amount of chemical byproducts that oxidative stress produces.

Blood test results showed that in the high BPA group, both mother and baby showed signs of oxidative stress caused by overexposure to nitric oxide-derived radicals. Specifically, the blood of the participants found higher than normal levels of the by-products of this type of oxidative stress damage.

In addition to human subjects, the researchers studied the effects of BPA on pregnancy in sheep, mice, and rats. They contaminated them with BPA by adding them to their food and quantifying the products of oxidative stress in the blood of the mother and the young. The results obtained are consistent with human studies.

“The harmful effects of BPA on human health are still controversial. These findings demonstrate that more research is needed to definitively determine the risk of disease from BPA exposure. Now, these results indicate that pregnant women should minimize their exposure to BPA to protect both their unborn baby and themselves from the oxidative damage that BPA brings.” Padmanabhan said

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References:

1. Almudena Veiga-Lopez, Subramaniam Pennathur, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Heather B. Patisaul, Dana C. Dolinoy, Lixia Zeng, Vasantha Padmanabhan. Impact of Gestational Bisphenol A on Oxidative Stress and Free Fatty Acids: Human Association and Interspecies Animal Testing Studies. Endocrinology, 2015; en.2014-1863 DOI: 10.1210/en.2014-1863