Bisphenol A (BPA), commonly used to make everyday plastic products, not only interferes with the body’s normal hormonal functions, but is also associated with harmful changes in intestinal flora in children.
A new study involving experts from the University of Granada examined how exposure to bisphenol A affects different types of microorganisms and whether this leads to changes in the composition and function of the intestinal flora. The results can be read in the English-language specialist magazine “mSystems”.
Bisphenol A, overweight and obesity
A total of 106 children were studied to identify microbes involved in exposure to and degradation of bisphenol A. Their influence on the entire intestinal flora and possible connections with dysbiosis (imbalance of the intestinal flora) in obesity were also taken into account.
Sixty of the children were of normal weight, while the others were overweight or obese. The researchers exposed children’s stool samples to different concentrations of bisphenol A and then allowed the bacteria to thrive for three days.
Richer intestinal flora at normal weight
Using rRNA sequencing and additional amplicon sequencing, the researchers were ultimately able to identify 333 BPA-resistant bacterial species.
The team also found that children of normal weight generally had a more diverse and better structured network of bacteria than overweight and obese children.
In particular, the bacterial genera Clostridium and Romboutsia promoted the diversity of bacterial communities in the samples cultured with bisphenol A, the researchers add.
It is possible that the intestinal flora of normal-weight children is generally more resistant to so-called xenobiotic substances such as bisphenol A, adds study author Dr. Margarita Aguilera in a press release.
Therefore, exposure to bisphenol A may promote different microbial communities in normal-weight children than in overweight or obese children.
“We found that the gut microbial community responds differently to BPA exposure depending on the person’s BMI (body mass index),” said Dr. Aguilera.
These connections illustrate the complicated interplay between the intestinal microbiota and the potential pathophysiology in humans resulting from cumulative BPA exposure, explains the expert.
Knowing which microbes are involved in the complex network linking bisphenol A, obesity and the gut microbiota could also provide clues to possible interventions to reduce the risk of obesity in children worldwide, adds Dr. Aguilera added.
The results should also raise awareness of the health risks posed by microplastics that enter our bodies and circulate in the environment, emphasizes the study author. (as)
