BPA Linked to Heart Disease and Diabetes, Again

Just days after the US Food and Drug Administration expressed concern about bisphenol-a (BPA) and pledged to look into potential health impacts further, a new study found links between BPA and two of the most common health conditions plaguing Americans today - heart disease and diabetes.

While the new study does not prove that BPA definitively causes these conditions, there was clearly an association. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, of the 1,455 adults tested, the higher the level of BPA in their urine, the higher their rates of heart disease and diabetes. The scientists also found a link between abnormal liver enzymes in people and levels of BPA, which may mean that the chemical impacts liver function.

This is the second major study showing links to these conditions. An August 2008 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives found that BPA, at levels well-within the range of common human exposure, suppresses levels of a hormone that protects people from metabolic syndrome (associated with obesity) and its consequences: heart disease and Type 2 diabetes.

BPA is one of the highest-volume synthetic chemicals in the world, with over two million tons used worldwide each year, and the US Centers for Disease Control has found in the bodies of more than 90% of Americans. BPA leaches from polycarbonate plastic containers and the epoxy linings of canned foods and beverages. Learn more about BPA and how to reduce your exposure.

Read the full article at webmd.com