Estimated Dietary Bisphenol-A Exposure and Adiposity in Samoan Mothers and Children

Dietary bisphenols exposure as an influencing factor of body mass index

BACKGROUND

Over the past three decades, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence and incidence of overweight and obesity worldwide. The obesogen hypothesis suggests that certain external agents may affect pathways related to fat accumulation and energy balance by stimulating fat cell differentiation and proliferation. Previous research has indicated that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) and some of its analogues may influence fat accumulation by promoting the transformation of preadipocytes into adipocytes. This study aimed to assess the possible contribution of dietary bisphenol exposure to the odds of developing overweight and obesity in a sample of Spanish children according to sex.

METHODS

Dietary and anthropometric data were collected from 179 controls and 124 cases schoolchildren aged 3-12 years. Dietary exposure to BPA and bisphenol S (BPS) was assessed using a food consumption frequency questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to assess the influence of dietary exposure to bisphenols on overweight and obesity stratified by sex.

RESULTS

For females, cases had significantly higher exposure to BPA from meat and eggs compared to controls (median = 319.55, interquartile range (IQR) = 176.39-381.01 vs 231.79 (IQR) = 162.11-350.19, p-value = 0.046). Diet quality was higher for controls (6.21 (2.14) vs 4.80 (2.24) p < 0.001) among males independently of a high or low exposure to bisphenols. However, higher diet quality was observed for female controls with an high exposure of total bisphenols (6.79 (2.04) vs 5.33 (2.02) p = 0.031). Females exposed to high levels of BPA from meat and eggs had higher likelihood of being overweight and obese (adjusted Odds Ratio = 2.70, 95% confidence interval = 1.00 - 7.32). However, no consistent associations were found in males.

CONCLUSIONS

High BPA levels from meat and eggs were positively associated with overweight and obesity in females. The dietary intake of BPA in the schoolchildren in the present study was much higher than the acceptable daily intake established by EFSA for the last year.

Development and evaluation of a novel dietary bisphenol A (BPA) exposure risk tool

BACKGROUND

Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) is primarily from the diet through canned foods. Characterizing dietary exposures can be conducted through biomonitoring and dietary surveys; however, these methods can be time-consuming and challenging to implement.

METHODS

We developed a novel dietary exposure risk questionnaire to evaluate BPA exposure and compared these results to 24-hr dietary recall data from participants (n = 404) of the Diet Intervention Examining The Factors Interacting with Treatment Success (DIETFITS) study, a dietary clinical trial, to validate questionnaire responses. High BPA exposure foods were identified from the dietary recalls and used to estimate BPA exposure. Linear regression models estimated the association between exposure to BPA and questionnaire responses. A composite risk score was developed to summarize questionnaire responses.

RESULTS

In questionnaire data, 65% of participants ate canned food every week. A composite exposure score validated that the dietary exposure risk questionnaire captured increasing BPA exposure. In the linear regression models, utilizing questionnaire responses vs. 24-hr dietary recall data, participants eating canned foods 1-2 times/week (vs. never) consumed 0.78 more servings (p < 0.001) of high BPA exposure foods, and those eating canned foods 3+ times/week (vs. never) consumed 0.89 more servings (p = 0.013) of high BPA exposure foods. Participants eating 3+ packaged items/day (vs. never) consumed 62.65 more total grams of high BPA exposure food (p = 0.036).

CONCLUSIONS

Dietary exposure risk questionnaires may provide an efficient alternative approach to 24-hour dietary recalls to quantify dietary BPA exposure with low participant burden.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The trial was prospectively registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01826591 on April 8, 2013.

Generating Data Visualizations of Longitudinal Cohort Ambient Air Pollution Exposure: Report-Back Intervention Development in Participatory Action Research

A civic engagement and data science design was used to develop a report-back intervention to address stakeholder concerns related to air emissions surrounding a coke oven factory near Buffalo, NY. This factory had historically emitted high levels of benzene pollution and ceased operation in October 2018 because of violations of the US Clean Air Act and US Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. Using publicly available air pollution and weather data, descriptive time series and wind-rose data visualizations were developed using open-source software as part of a two-page report-back brief. Data from two air toxics monitoring sites in this direction suggest that industrial sources were likely the major contributor to the benzene in the air at these locations prior to May 2018, after which traffic emissions became the likely major contributor. Wind-rose visualizations demonstrated that the wind typically blew toward the northeast, which was qualitatively consistent with locations of stakeholder concerns. With the factory closed, collective efforts subsequently shifted to address traffic emission air pollution sources, factory site cleanup, and ground and water pollution mitigation. Because this intervention utilized open-source software and publicly available data, it can serve as a blueprint for future data-driven nursing interventions and community-led environmental justice efforts.

Joint effect between bisphenol A and alcohol consumption on benign prostatic hyperplasia: A case-control study in Hong Kong Chinese males

BACKGROUND

Whether bisphenol A (BPA) exposure is a contributing factor to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) remains unclear. This study evaluated the association between chronic BPA exposure and BPH risk, and explored whether this association was modified by alcohol drinking.

METHODS

This study included a total of 650 BPH cases and 650 controls recruited from the same hospital in Hong Kong during 2011-2016. Chronic BPA exposure level was estimated by a validated cumulative BPA exposure index (CBPAI). We performed unconditional logistic regression model to examine the association of BPH risk with potential sources of BPA exposure via oral intake and CBPAI. We further tested the interactions between CBPAI and alcohol consumption habits on BPH risk.

RESULTS

A positive exposure-response relationship was observed between CBPAI and BPH risk. Frequent BPA exposure via oral intake of foods heated in a plastic box/bag (odds ratio [OR] = 3.52, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-8.22), cooling water in a plastic bottle (OR = 2.65, 95% CI: 1.33-5.27), or using a plastic cup to contain hot water (OR = 4.14, 95% CI: 1.02-16.89), was significantly associated with increased BPH risk. Compared with nonalcohol drinkers, alcohol drinkers was insignificantly associated with BPH risk (OR = 1.10, 95% CI: 0.77-1.57), but it demonstrated a more remarkable positive gradient between CBPAI exposure and BPH risk among alcohol drinkers, indicating an additive interaction between CBPAI and alcohol on BPH risk (synergy index = 4.24, 95% CI: 1.21-14.94).

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic oral BPA exposure increased BPH risk with a positive exposure-response relationship among Hong Kong Chinese, and alcohol drinking amplified the effect of BPA on BPH. Hence, minimizations of containing food or water/beverage in plastic containers and drinking alcohol are recommended in the community to mitigate BPH risk. Future larger and designated studies are warranted.

Factors Associated with Exposure to Dietary Bisphenols in Adolescents

Obesogenic endocrine-disrupting chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA) and its analogue bisphenol S (BPS), seem to play an important role in the development of obesity, although contradictory results have been reported. The aim of the present study was to conduct a gender analysis of the factors associated with exposure to dietary bisphenols in 585 Spanish adolescents. Dietary BPA and BPS exposure was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. Foods and macronutrients accounting for more than 95% of energy intake were selected for analysis. Stepwise regression was used to estimate the foods that most contributed to dietary bisphenol exposure in the sample. Gender-related factors associated with greater dietary bisphenol exposure were evaluated using multivariate logistic regression models. Canned tuna was the main dietary source of BPA and BPS in both adolescent boys and girls. Overweight/obese girls showed a higher risk of high dietary exposure to BPA (odds ratio (OR): 3.38, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.25-9.07) and total bisphenols (OR: 2.81, 95% CI: 1.03-7.67) in comparison with girls with a BMI lower than 25 kg/m². Present results indicate a positive association of dietary exposure to both total bisphenols and BPA with being overweight/obese in adolescent girls.