Association between bisphenol A exposure and cardiometabolic outcomes: A longitudinal approach

Increased cardiometabolic risk is associated with abnormalities in blood biomarkers profile and adiposity measurements. Some substances found in the food matrix and the environment, called endocrine-disrupting chemicals, may impair cardiometabolic health in the early and later stages of life. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a food contaminant that migrates from food contact materials and may act as an endocrine disruptor, negatively affecting human health. The present work aims to longitudinally assess the association between BPA exposure and cardiometabolic outcomes, considering data from Portuguese population-based birth cohort Generation XXI. Blood insulin (0.06std(3; 95 %CI:0.03,0.09) and insulin resistance (0.05std(3; 95 %CI:0.02,0.08) presented a significant longitudinal association with BPA daily exposure after adjustment for important variables and energy. The same findings were observed for fat mass (0.03std(3; 95 %CI 0.01,0.06) and waist circumference (0.06std(3; 95 %CI:0.04,0.08). For z-BMI, a significant cross-sectional (0.03std(3; 95 %CI:0.01,0.04) and longitudinal (0.02std(3; 95 %CI:0.00,0.04) association was found. This was the first study assessing the association between BPA exposure and health outcomes from childhood to adolescence. We found an association between BPA exposure and increased blood insulin level, insulin resistance, fat mass percentage, waist circumference and zBMI. Our results point to the need to reduce exposure to BPA in the early stages of life.