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08/20/2013
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In both studies, the phthalate was linked to insulin resistance, and while bisphenol A (BPA), obesity and increased waist circumference
Plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Chemicals for the production of packaging can increase chances of obesity and diabetes in adolescents Photo: SPENCER PLATT / AFP
USA - Children exposed to two chemicals commonly used in food packaging are more likely to be obese or have signs of diabetes, new research suggests.
Researchers have found that the levels in the urine of a phthalate type, used to soften the plastic was linked to increased risk of insulin resistance in adolescents.
Based on information the same nutrition research, another study linked bisphenol A (BPA), used in aluminum cans, obesity and increased waist circumference.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention U.S., one in every six American teenagers are obese.
- Of course a unhealthy diet and lack of physical activity are the factors of the epidemic, but more and more chemicals are being identified as potential contributors - said the pediatrician at the University of New York, Leonardo Trasande.
He and his colleagues analyzed data from a large national survey on nutrition made between 2003 and 2008, which included tests of urine and blood of 766 adolescents aged between 12 and 19 years.
They found that urine levels of a phthalate type, known as di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), have strong connection with the chance of developing insulin resistance adolescents, a precursor of diabetes.
The researchers speculated that the study does not prove that eating foods packed with phthalates cause insulin resistance. It is also possible that children who are insulin resistant and have less healthy habits consume more processed products, and so have the highest levels of phthalates in the urine.
But Transande told Reuters that the substance should influence how the body secretes insulin in response to sugar. Because of this, he advises parents to avoid plastics made of DEHP.
- Advise parents not wash plastic containers in the dishwasher - said. - And when the plastic is clearly damaged, it's time to throw it away.
In another study published in "Pediatrics", Joyce Lee, University of Michigan, and his colleagues used a nutrition research 2010 to compare the levels of BPA in the urine of individuals 6-18 years.
In the analysis of 3,370 children, BPA - a substance that mimics estrogen in the body - there was linked to insulin resistance or blood sugar. But children with higher levels of BPA were more likely to become obese and have higher waist circumference. Altogether 18% of children in the study were obese.
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