NHANES data don't support BPA, chronic disease link

(HealthDay)—An analysis of data from a public health database has shown no association between urinary bisphenol A (BPA) levels and chronic diseases, unlike previous studies, but this dataset may be inappropriate to analyze such associations, according to research published online Dec. 5 in PLOS One.

Judy S. LaKind, Ph.D., from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, and colleagues analyzed the association between urinary BPA and health outcomes using four datasets (covering 2003 to 2010) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

After adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical variables, the researchers found no association between urinary BPA and coronary heart disease, heart attack, or diabetes, unlike previous studies that used different criteria and definitions. However, the authors caution that it would be inappropriate to draw conclusions about short-lived environmental chemicals and complex chronic diseases based on analyzing cross-sectional datasets like NHANES.

"We need to expend resources on appropriately designed epidemiologic studies and toxicological explorations to understand whether these types of chemicals play a causal role in chronic diseases," LaKind and colleagues conclude.

One author is a consultant for both industry and government.