Plastic containers, a possible cause of childhood obesity

Increasingly, we are eating more healthily and doing more physical activity, which is why there has been a significant reduction in obesity. But, despite this, childhood obesity continues to be a leading public health issue and Spain as a country lies second in the EU league table of number of cases. The question arises, is it just a matter of food?

There is a belief the the prevalence of obesity in school-age children could be due to environmental factors, and it is these factors that are the focus of research being carried out by Ana María Rivas Velasco of the University of Granada.

The research is based on the hypothesis that increased exposure to substances known as endocrine disruptors, which interfere with various aspects of the metabolism, is related to the global obesity epidemic. These Endocrine Disruptors (EDs) are a diverse and heterogeneous set of exogenous chemical compounds capable of altering the synthesis, release, transport, metabolization, binding, action or elimination of natural hormones in the body. What does this mean? That continuous exposure to certain types of polycarbonate plastics that contain an ED such as Bisphenol A can cause problems in our body.

The scope of this research is very relevant if you bear in mind that polycarbonate is used in the manufacture of baby bottles, tableware, utensils for ovens and microwaves, food containers, bottles for water, milk and other drinks, processing equipment and water pipes, all of them objects that come into contact with food.

That is why Fundación MAPFRE supports this work with our 2018 H. de Larramendi Research Grants.