A toxin found in foods, drinks and other everyday items lingers longer in the bodies of children with autism and ADHD, a study suggests.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical compound that has been called a “gender-bending” chemical due to its links to hormonal and sexual problems.
Now, researchers at Rowan University and Rutgers University in New Jersey have found that children with autism and ADHD cannot expel BPA from their bodies as quickly as neurotypical children. BPA has previously been linked to both conditions, although this is the first to find that children with ADHD and autism have a harder time eliminating the chemical.
Researchers also believe that increased exposure to BPA may increase the risk of developing these conditions, but they admit it is unclear how this works.
But the new link is sure to reignite calls to clamp down on the amount of BPA allowed in products in the United States, which has some of the laxest rules in the Western world.
BPA is found in plastic containers and water bottles, inside food cans, and even in sunglasses.
BPA is an “endocrine disruptor,” meaning it can mimic the body’s hormones and interfere with the production and response to natural hormones like estrogen. It has also been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
Earlier this year, European officials slashed the maximum amount of BPA by 20,000 times after discovering that millions of people are likely consuming too much of the dangerous chemical. However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows much higher levels.
The United States also has some of the highest rates of autism and ADHD in the world, and autism rates in particular have increased 52 percent since 2017.
The study, published last month in the journal Plus one, measured detoxification efficiency (how quickly the body eliminates chemicals like BPA) in 66 children with autism, 46 with ADHD, and 37 neurotypical children. The participants were between three and 16 years old.
To determine how much BPA they purged, the researchers collected urine samples from each child between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., which were then frozen. The team also measured the children’s dietary and vitamin intake.
They found that children with autism are 10 percent less able to remove BPA from their bodies, while children with ADHD are 17 percent less able to eliminate the chemical.
Dr. T. Peter Stein, a professor at the Roman-Virtua School of Osteopathic Medicine and lead author of the study, said this compromised ability to remove BPA and other contaminants from the body is “the first solid biochemical evidence of what the link is.” between BPA and development. of autism or ADHD.’
“We were surprised to find that ADHD shows the same defect in BPA detoxification.”
BPA is an “endocrine disruptor,” meaning it can mimic the body’s hormones and interfere with the production and response to natural hormones like estrogen. It has also been linked to low sperm counts and infertility in men, as well as breast and prostate cancer.
It is found in plastic containers and water bottles, inside food cans and even in sunglasses.
Adderall prescriptions increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2020, just before the virus broke out across the United States, the drug accounted for 1.1% of drugs. By September 2022, the figure had more than doubled to 2.31% of all scripts written.
The graph above from the new Rutgers study shows autism prevalence estimates per 1,000 eight-year-olds in New Jersey overall and by intellectual ability. The proportion of eight-year-olds diagnosed with autism who do not have an intellectual disability increased more sharply (shown by the blue line) than those who do not have an intellectual disability (shown by the green line)
Previous research has found associations between children with autism and BPA exposure, although this new study is the first to find that children with the condition are less able to expel the chemical.
About one in 36 children in the U.S. has autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability.
People with ASD often have problems with communication and social interaction, as well as restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests.
The rate is higher among boys (four in 100) than among girls (one in 100).
There is no definitive cause of autism, and research suggests that the disorder develops from a combination of genetic and environmental influences that affect early brain development.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder that is typically diagnosed in childhood, but recent years have seen an increase in diagnoses in adults.
Neuroscientists have not determined the cause of ADHD, although genetics is thought to play an important role.
The main symptoms of ADHD, which usually appear before the age of 12, include inattention and hyperactive-impulsive behavior. People with ADHD may be continually restless, unable to focus on a given task, talk excessively, interrupt others, and become easily distracted, among other symptoms.
Stimulants are the most commonly used medications for ADHD because they increase levels of dopamine, a key neurochemical for concentration and sustained attention.
The medications work by decreasing the amount of dopamine that is reabsorbed in the neuron that produced it in the first place.
By slowing down the reuptake of dopamine, the neurotransmitter has more time to travel from one neuron to another, transmitting information and eventually binding to a receptor, thus helping messages within the brain to be transmitted and received more effectively.
This improves communication in parts of the brain that produce dopamine and norepinephrine, a chemical that helps a person stay awake, pay attention, and think clearly.
The rate of women in their 20s filling prescriptions for ADHD medications like Adderall increased nearly 20 percent between 2020 and 2021, while that rate among adult men ages 30 to 39 increased nearly 15 percent.
The pandemic surge in new prescriptions has contributed to a national shortage of Adderall, which has left children unable to concentrate and behave at school, according to parents across the United States.
The team said more research is needed to determine whether BPA exposure leads to an increased risk of developing autism or ADHD.
