Study: Bisphenol-A (BPA) Harms Brain Function
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical found in most plastics, cans, and other types of food and drink packaging is already linked to obesity, infertility and reproductive disorders in both genders, breast cancer, behavioral problems, and more.
Add disrupted brain function and development to the list. A telling new study explains how. Find ways to counteract BPA below.
The journal of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published the study led by Dr. Wolfgang Leidtke finding that BPA could “suppress genes that are critical to early development of the central nervous system, which may predispose both animals and humans to neurodevelopmental disorders.”
Liedtke, a Duke University associate professor of medicine and neurobiology explains:
Chloride going from high to low around the time of birth, in a very choreographed manner, is an absolute prerequisite for the nerve cell to find its right place. That is perturbed by BPA. If chloride is high, things go wrong. Nerve cells in the central nervous system are protecting themselves by pumping out chloride all the time.
BPA chemical prohibits a chloride transporter in the brain (KCC2) from getting chloride out of the cells. When the chloride levels remain high, neural circuits don’t connect or form the normal way.
This study showed a more pronounced effect on the female brain and subsequent brain development issues for unborn babies. “The process of emptying out chloride from the neuron is faster and more dynamic in females.” Exposure to BPA could lead to neuro-developmental problems later in life or triggered during trauma and stress, the researchers said. Previous studies point to reproductive and sex hormone problems for women, and this study goes into the neurological problems associated with BPA. For men, the fake estrogen effect of BPA led to gender-bending hormone issues when studied in mice.
The researchers found that the effects could be resolved or reversed if the damage to neuro-development was caught early on. Unfortunately, it required a drug that would correct the methylation to compensate for the high levels of chloride in the cells. Intervention like that brought hope for the team, but means that concerned parents would need to subject themselves and their children to expensive testing after a doctor’s referral and then to a drug that focuses on that particular function.
Liedtke’s main desire was to convince the EU to take the evidence more seriously and do more than just finally ban BPA in baby bottles and cups in the US; yet the chemical still remains in all food packaging and cans (including infant formulas). And paper money, receipts, and white dental fillings.
While it’s clearly difficult, it is possible to alleviate the effects of BPA by avoiding plastics and canned foods. In a 2001 study, BPA was found in urine immediately after ingesting canned foods, especially soup. Although BPA is said to be expelled in urine, the ill health effects happen during and after contact, and higher urine levels indicate higher damaging levels. Some brands to look for appear here. If that isn’t possible, then try this way to naturally reverse the damaging effects of Bisphenol-A.
Article Source:
http://healthland.time.com/2013/02/26/how-bpa-may-disrupt-brain-development/
Image Source:
http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2010/09/plastic-bpa-in-cans
