They find a relationship between Bisphenol-A, a constituent of the "polycarbonate" plastic of some food packaging, and the presence of cognitive and behavioral problems in adolescence

This study, published in the journal Sci of the Total Environment, highlights the importance that environmental pollutants can have on human behavior

The Basic and Clinical Oncology research group of the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA) has found a direct relationship between high levels of Bisphenol A in children aged 9 to 11 years and thought and behavior problems evidenced in their adolescence (16 -17 years).

In order to carry out this study, this group of scientists from Granada have analyzed the biological changes that occur in adolescents, the so-called "biomarkers of effect", as a consequence of exposure to different external agents at an early age, the so-called "biomarkers of exhibition".

The biomarkers used were the level of Bisphenol A (BPA) present in urine, and Brain Neurotrophic Factor- (BDNF), in blood, to identify the pathway of events that lead to BPA affecting neuro-behavioral development. For the analysis of behavioral changes in adolescents, a survey was used where parents answered about their children's behavior.

This team of researchers from ibs.GRANADA is an international leader and has been researching for more than 25 years how Bisphenol A, a well-known endocrine disruptor (EDC), designed as a synthetic estrogen in 1936, is present in many of the plastic utensils that are part of our day by day, it can exert epigenetic modifications (alteration of DNA methylation) that affect human behavior, in addition to other adverse effects on reproduction, the immune system, metabolism or the increased risk of hormone-dependent cancers.

The results obtained in this study have shown that children with higher levels of BPA in childhood (9-11 years) had more behavioral problems (thinking and somatic complaints) in adolescence. Exposure to BPA is also associated with increased methylation of the BDNF gene. Methylation is a process by which new molecules, called methyl groups, are added to DNA, preventing the gene from being expressed.

According to this study carried out by researchers from ibs.GRANADA, the Biomedical Research Center of the University of Granada and the CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), methylation of the BDNF gene explains at least 34% of the association found between BPA exposure and thinking problems in adolescents. These results support the recent opinion of the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) to restrict the use of BPA in food contact materials, due to the associated risk of inappropriate effects on human health.

This work is part of the Initiative for Human Biomonitoring in Europe (HBM4EU Project in which ibs.GRANADA participates).

About the research group

The ibs.GRANADA Basic and Clinical Oncology research group, led by Nicolás Olea, is a multidisciplinary team made up of clinical doctors, physiotherapists, biologists, chemists and environmentalists who join forces in the study of the environmental causes of common diseases and in the diagnosis and treatment of tumor diseases. Participation in the CIBER for Epidemiology and Public Health, (Area of Environmental and Labor Epidemiology), the Childhood and Environment Network (INMA), the European Network for Biomonitoring of Environmental Exposure (HBM4EU and PARC), the Biobank Platform and the collaboration in the MCC-Spain and EPIC-Spain studies, guide the group's objectives in the field of environmental epidemiology.

The lines of research in which they work are radiological diagnosis, environmental epidemiology, risk factors in chronic diseases, personalized medicine, tumor radiobiology and cancer treatments.

More information about the group at https://www.ibsgranada.es/grupos-de-investigacion/a15-oncologia-basica-y-clinica/

Bibliographic reference:

Mustieles V, Rodríguez-Carrillo A, Vela-Soria F, D'Cruz SC, David A, Smagulova F, Mundo-López A, Olivas-Martínez A, Reina-Pérez I, Olea N, Freire C, Arrebola JP, Fernández MF . BDNF as a potential mediator between childhood BPA exposure and behavioral function in adolescent boys from the INMA Granada cohort. Sci Total Environment. 2022;803:150014. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150014.