More bad news for industrial food producers

New research from the United Kingdom has driven another nail into the coffin of the plasticiser, Bisphenol A (BPA). A study by researchers at the University of Exeter, the European Centre for the Environment and Human Health, and Cambridge University has identified a clear link between the product and cardiovascular disease.

The 10-year study compared urine from over 1600 individuals, of whom 758 later developed cardiovascular disease, while 861 stayed disease free. The study found that those who developed heart disease had higher concentrates of BPA in their urine than those who remained healthy.

While this is not a definitive cause-effect result, it adds another health factor to those who use BPA in food and beverage packaging. This includes producers of canned food and alcohol beverage producers using screwcap and crowncap closures.

The paper has been published in Circulation, a Journal of the American Heart Association, and was funded by the British Heart Foundation.

University of Exeter’s Professor David Melzer, who led the study team said, “This study strengthens the statistical link between BPA and heart disease, but we can’t be certain that BPA itself is responsible.

“It is now important that government agencies organise drug style safety trials of BPA in humans, as much basic information about how BPA behaves in the human body is still unknown.”

Professor Tamara Galloway of Biosciences at the University of Exeter, senior author on the paper, said, “If BPA itself is directly responsible for this increase in risk, the size of effect is difficult to estimate. However, it adds to the evidence that BPA may be an additional contributor to heart disease risk alongside the major risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol levels.”

BPA has also raised concerns from public health groups as it is an endocrine disruptor that is implicated in many studies in reproductive dysfunction and other health risks. It is also considered a factor in increased obesity and diabetes.

The most common exposure to BPA by humans is through food and beverage packaging.