Heart risk in bottles and women most vulnerable
EXPOSURE to a chemical found in plastic bottles and drink cans could be bad for the heart, a new study has claimed.
Researchers exposed mice from birth to bisphenol A (BPA) and found heart function and blood pressure are affected differently in males and females, with females at greater risk of damage from stress.
BPA is widely used as a lining for cans and plastic bottles.
The research, published in the journal Endocrinology, showed that in young BPA-exposed female mice, the heart is more sensitive to stress-induced ischaemic (restricted blood supply) damage in a way not seen in untreated female mice.
Numerous previous studies have linked BPA – which is also a common contaminant of many packaged foods and drinks – to neurological defects, diabetes and breast and prostate cancer.
Lead researcher Scott Belcher, professor of pharmacology and cell biophysics at the University of Cincinnati in the US, said: “The results of this study find heart and blood pressure effects in male and female mice, with females seemingly at greater risk of harm.
“We used a model that in some ways mimics damage that can occur during a heart attack. For female mice exposed to BPA, there was a severe increase in the sensitivity to cardiotoxic damage. This effect was especially striking because females are typically protected.”
