BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) is abundant in today’s society. For example, which can of garbanzo beans, unless it says BPA free, it’s lined with it. It’s an endocrine disruptor. Rodent studies show that it affects the ability to deal with stress.

When rats are exposed in the womb or in early post birth life to BPA,  they can’t handle stress normally. BPA exposure to the developing brain creates methylation problems in a part of the brain called the hippocampus (named after it’s sea horse shape). The hippocampus helps us keep our cool and feel solid (or not) with our world, especially under stress.

Moral of this study story:

Avoid as much BPA during pregnancy and in your kid’s childhood environment as possible, and of course, for all of us.

BPA sources:

Primary source is the diet. Air, dust and water can have some, but we eat and swallow the most. Polycarbonate plastics are used in some food and drink packaging, e.g., water and infant bottles, compact discs, impact-resistant safety equipment, and medical devices. Epoxy resins are used as lacquers to coat metal products such as food cans, bottle tops, and water supply pipes. Some dental sealants and composites may also contribute to BPA exposure. New car smell? BPA.  

Avoid getting dental work done while pregnant, buying a new car when pregnant, don’t feed kid sugar so their teeth don’t need fillings as much as possible.

Hidden BPA:

paper receipts (ask for email ones), dental sealants, pizza boxes, canned foods including vegetables, beans, fish, fruit and soda. A Danish study shows that toilet paper has traces of it but not sure what to do about that (when I was a hippie we used sphagnum moss, hah) . Bummer – Wine Too!

Some wines can contain high levels of BPA limited to wines fermented in vats lined with plastic. I don’t know which ones yet!

Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2015 Dec 5;417:191-9. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.09.028. Epub 2015 Sep 30.

The authors of this study say, “Developmental exposure to bisphenol A alters expression and DNA methylation of Fkbp5, an important regulator of the stress response. Bisphenol A (BPA), an abundant endocrine disruptor, affects stress-responsiveness and related behaviors in children.”

This means that BPA can be contributing to impulsivity control issues, anger issues, attentional issues, and many more cognitive problems in your kids.

Be smart.

Go chemical free as much as you can without making yourself crazy, but keeping your kids from going crazy, too.

Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2015 Sep 28. pii: S0303-7207(15)30094-0. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2015.09.028.