Diabetes Update: Did Your Plastic Water Bottle Give You Diabetes?
Did Your Plastic Water Bottle Give You Diabetes?
Today's news carried a story about how 12 scientists have published a warning that a compound called bisphenol A, an estrogen mimic which is found in many plastics, has been conclusively linked with reproductive tract damage in many animals.
A chilling line from the report states "The scientists - including four from federal health agencies - reviewed about 700 studies before concluding that people are exposed to levels of the chemical exceeding those that harm lab animals. Infants and fetuses are most vulnerable, they said."
In addition the report explains, "The compound, bisphenol A or BPA, is one of the highest-volume chemicals in the world and has found its way into the bodies of most human beings.
"Used to make hard plastic, BPA can seep from beverage containers and other materials. It is used in all polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, as well as other rigid plastic items, including large water cooler containers, sports bottles and microwave oven dishes, along with canned food liners and some dental sealants for children."
Here is a link to the version of this story that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Scientists say plastic compound causes reproductive problems
What the article failed to mention is that several studies have also found that bisphenol A increases insulin resistance. For example, a study published in January 2006 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has a title that says it all:
"The Estrogenic Effect of Bisphenol A Disrupts Pancreatic β-Cell Function In Vivo and Induces Insulin Resistance".
Another article published in 2004 in The British Journal of Pharmacology, Bisphenol A affects glucose transport in mouse 3T3-F442A adipocytes concluded "it was demonstrated that BPA, one of the chemicals that we intake incidentally, affects the glucose transport in adipocytes [fat cells], and also that the environmental chemicals may be identified as one of the environmental factors that affect diabetes and obesity."
There are more studies out there along the same lines. What they have in common is that they were published in journals that don't get a lot of attention from the press and that no drug company or agribusiness powerhouse benefits from promoting these results to the media so these findings did not get the PR push that would get them into the news.
But if you have a weight problem linked to insulin resistance, they should get you thinking.
Yeah, I know. Plastic water bottles, no stick pans, where does it end? This is something to watch, but my gut isn't so sure on this one.
Did Your Plastic Water Bottle Give You Diabetes?
Today's news carried a story about how 12 scientists have published a warning that a compound called bisphenol A, an estrogen mimic which is found in many plastics, has been conclusively linked with reproductive tract damage in many animals.
A chilling line from the report states "The scientists - including four from federal health agencies - reviewed about 700 studies before concluding that people are exposed to levels of the chemical exceeding those that harm lab animals. Infants and fetuses are most vulnerable, they said."
In addition the report explains, "The compound, bisphenol A or BPA, is one of the highest-volume chemicals in the world and has found its way into the bodies of most human beings.
"Used to make hard plastic, BPA can seep from beverage containers and other materials. It is used in all polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, as well as other rigid plastic items, including large water cooler containers, sports bottles and microwave oven dishes, along with canned food liners and some dental sealants for children."
Here is a link to the version of this story that appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Scientists say plastic compound causes reproductive problems
What the article failed to mention is that several studies have also found that bisphenol A increases insulin resistance. For example, a study published in January 2006 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has a title that says it all:
"The Estrogenic Effect of Bisphenol A Disrupts Pancreatic β-Cell Function In Vivo and Induces Insulin Resistance".
Another article published in 2004 in The British Journal of Pharmacology, Bisphenol A affects glucose transport in mouse 3T3-F442A adipocytes concluded "it was demonstrated that BPA, one of the chemicals that we intake incidentally, affects the glucose transport in adipocytes [fat cells], and also that the environmental chemicals may be identified as one of the environmental factors that affect diabetes and obesity."
There are more studies out there along the same lines. What they have in common is that they were published in journals that don't get a lot of attention from the press and that no drug company or agribusiness powerhouse benefits from promoting these results to the media so these findings did not get the PR push that would get them into the news.
But if you have a weight problem linked to insulin resistance, they should get you thinking.
Yeah, I know. Plastic water bottles, no stick pans, where does it end? This is something to watch, but my gut isn't so sure on this one.
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