That is according to a study published ahead of print in the journal Pediatrics. The researchers looked at levels of Bisphenol A (BPA) in the urine of children and found it was associated with higher levels of obesity.
So what is BPA? It is a chemical used in plastic manufacturing. Unfortunately, it has also been found to be an endocrine disrupter that can mimic estrogen, a female hormone.
The researchers looked at urine levels and compared it to body mass index (BMI) of children between the ages of 6-18 between 2003 and 2010 and found that children with higher BPA in their urine had a higher chance of being obese.
Let’s see what the critics make of the paper, the use of BPAs in food and drink packaging is a controversial topic and I am sure there will be some comments about this. The last time we reported on the levels of BPA in urine backin 2011 (they were very high after drinking a canned soup) it was pointed out that the levels in the urine were high because BPA is excreted almost immediately from the body and therefore has very little time to cause any effects.