Eating processed food could ‘program’ your baby to be obese
As most pregnant women are aware, what you eat during pregnancy directly effects the health of your unborn baby, which is why doctors recommend maintaining a healthy diet, usually containing fresh produce, whole foods and lean proteins. But even the best of us can’t help reaching for that quick and easy prepared meal on days when you just don’t have time to cook.
But according to new research from Texas A&M University, this minor slip could set your baby up for obesity.
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This issue isn’t with the prepared food itself, but rather the chemical benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), which is often found in the plastics used in conveyor belts and plastic fittings at many food preparation facilities.
“BBP is part of a chemical family called phthalates, which are typically used to make plastics soft and malleable,” explains Mahua Choudhury, Ph.D., assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center Irma Lerma Rangel College of Pharmacy. “BBP is not used in food preparation, but it is used in the conveyor belts and plastic fittings on machines used to process many prepared foods. Food becomes contaminated when BBP leeches into it from the plastic.”
The study looked at animal stem cells, which were exposed to varying levels of BBP.
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"We were quite surprised by the results,” said Choudhury.
Cells exposed to BBP also showed higher levels of adipogenesis, the process where fat cells develop. Depending on the dose, levels were as much as five times higher.
“We had thought we would see some increase, but nothing this dramatic.”
The dangers of BBP is not something new. In the European Union, BBP is banned from all toys and kids items and is considered, “carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMR-substance).” In the United States, restrictions are more lenient but limitations on BBP are still in place.
“For many years, we viewed obesity as a very simple problem, one that had to do with diet and inactivity only,” says investigator Ravi Sonkar, Ph.D., Texas A&M Rangel College of Pharmacy.
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“Phthalates have recently been associated with obesity, but this was the first time we were able to show the mechanism by which BBP may cause fat accumulation and program the stem cell to become obese via an epigenetic balance,“ Choudhury said.
While Choudhury is quick to point out that further study on human cells has not yet been completed, it’s certainly something worth considering if you’re an expectant mother.
What do you think of these new findings? Do you think it will prevent women form consuming processed foods? Let us know your thoughts by tweeting to @YahooStyleCA.
