Randomized Intervention Trial to Decrease Bisphenol A Urine Concentrations in Women: Pilot Study

Previous studies have shown that women have higher concentrations of the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), but an intervention to reduce BPA is lacking in women. To test the hypothesis that an intervention to reduce BPA would decrease urinary BPA concentrations over 3 weeks, 24 women (mean ± standard deviation [SD]; 22.1 ± 2.8 kg/m² body mass index, 20.9 ± 1.5 years) were randomly assigned to an intervention or control.

The intervention included weekly face-to-face meetings to reduce BPA exposures from food, cosmetics, and other packaged products. Women were provided with BPA-free cosmetics, hygiene, glass food/water containers, and daily self-monitored major sources of BPA. Fasting urine BPA and creatinine concentrations, and weight were assessed at study entry and after 3 weeks.

A significant (p = 0.04) treatment × time interaction effect was observed on creatinine-adjusted BPA concentrations. From study entry to 3 weeks, women in the intervention significantly decreased geometric mean creatinine-adjusted urinary BPA by -0.71 ng/m, whereas women in the control significantly increased urinary BPA by 0.32 ng/mL (p = 0.04). Additionally, from study entry to 3 weeks, women in the intervention significantly lost weight -0.28 ± 0.44 kg, whereas women in the control significantly gained weight +1.65 ± 0.74 kg (p = 0.03). Changes in creatinine-adjusted BPA concentrations and weight were not significantly related (p = 0.67).

In this pilot study, a 3-week intervention decreased urinary BPA concentrations in women. Future clinical trials are needed to confirm these results and to examine whether a similar BPA intervention positively impacts risk markers in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.