By David Liu, PHD

Thursday Sept 27, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A case-control study recently published in Circulation confirms early studies that suggest that exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may increase risk of coronary artery disease or commonly known as coronary heart disease, a major killer in the United States.

David Melzer, MB, PhD of Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Exeter, United Kingdom and colleagues conducted the study and found that an increase of 4.56 ng BPA/mL urine was associated with 13 percent increased risk for coronary artery disease after adjustment for age, gender, and urinary creatinine.

After adjustment for other coronary heart disease risk factors including education, occupational social status, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, serum lipid concentrations, and physical exercise, the exposure to BPA of the same magnitude was associated with 11 percent increased risk of coronary artery disease.

The associations remained strongly positive after excluding those with early coronary heart disease that occurred in the first three years of the follow-up, BMI of greater than 30 kg/m2 or abnormal renal function or additional adjustment for vitamin C, C-reactive protein, or alcohol drinking.

The researchers found the associations after analyzing BPA data from urinary samples from 758 incidence coronary artery disease patients and 861 controls aged 40 to 74 years and free of coronary artery disease, stroke, or diabetes mellitus at baseline, who were followed up for 10.8 years in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk UK. 

According to the authors,  BPA, as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, which is widely used in food and beverage packaging, was associated with coronary heart disease in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004 and NHANES 2005-2006 regardless of other risk factors.

The researchers concluded "Associations between higher BPA exposure (reflected in higher urinary concentrations) and incident CAD (coronary artery disease) during >10 years of follow-up showed trends similar to previously reported cross-sectional findings in the more highly exposed NHANES respondents."

BPA can damage the brain, the reproductive system and the immune system.  It can be particularly harmful to children.  The National Toxicology Program recognizes the toxicity of BPA to young children.

Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease is the major form of heart disease, which is a leading killer in the United States.  According to a report titled Health, United States, 2010 released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease killed 616,000 men and women or caused one quarter of all deaths in 2007 in the United States.

Coronary heart disease occurs when a plaque builds up in the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart, which narrows the arteries over time, a process called atherosclerosis.  Doctors say that the buildup is caused by high cholesterol, but evidence suggests that cholesterol plays a minor role in the condition.  Certain forms of calcium may actually play a bigger role.

When plaque builds up to certain degree, it can cause angina, the most common condition of coronary artery disease which comes with symptoms including chest pain or discomfort due to the fact that the heart muscle is unable to get enough blood.  Over time, this condition can further lead to weakened heart muscle, the precursor to heart failure.

A plant-based diet can completely stop progression of coronary heart disease or even reverse the disease condition.  The efficacy of this natural remedy is reportedly 99%.  Dr.  Dean Ornish, a professor of University of California in San Francisco and Dr. T Colin Campbell, a nutrition professor of Cornell University are both experts in this dietary intervention.   Former President Bill Clinton took advice from Dr. Ornish and has followed a plant-based diet for a couple of years and he feels much better now than ever.