High Cholesterol Diet : Nonstick Cookware May Raise Kids' Cholesterol

Nonstick Cookware May Raise Kids' Cholesterol

By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today Published: September 06, 2010 Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and Dorothy Caputo, MA, RN, BC-ADM, CDE, Nurse Planner Kids who eat food cooked in nonstick pots and pans may have higher levels of LDL cholesterol, a large cross-sectional study found. At issue are the chemicals used in the manufacture of the cookware -- perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), according to Stephanie J. Frisbee, MSc, of West Virginia University in Morgantown, and colleagues, who report the findings in the September Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. These two perfluoroalkyl acids are also used for emulsification during manufacturing processes not only of cookware but also of "breathable" and stain-resistant fabrics, carpets, and upholstery materials. In a community-based sample of young people who were exposed to the chemicals, mean serum concentrations of PFOA and PFOS were 69.2 ng/mL and 22.7 ng/mL, respectively. Logistic regression determined that higher quintiles of PFOA were positively associated with increased risk of abnormal total cholesterol (adjusted OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.1 to 1.4) and also LDL (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2 to 1.7). Mean total cholesterol in the group was 160.7 mg/dL and mean LDL was 87.3 mg/dL. Frisbee noted that exposure to PFOA and PFOS also has been documented for food packaging, breast milk, and ambient air, and the median level of PFOA found in the U.S. population at large in 2003 to 2004 was 3.9 ng/mL. Animal studies showed that the activity of these chemicals is primarily in the liver, and a previous study of adults with environmental exposure found positive associations between PFOA, total cholesterol, and LDL. To see if lipids also are affected in younger people, Frisbee and colleagues analyzed blood samples from 12,476 subjects ages 1 year to 17.9 years in areas of Ohio and West Virginia where drinking water had been contaminated by a DuPont facility near Parkersburg, W.Va. Participants' mean age was 11.1 years, and both sexes were equally represented. More than 95% were white, 39.7% were overweight or obese, and 36.7% reported exercising regularly. Mean HDL cholesterol level was 49.3 mg/dL and mean triglyceride level was 99.1 mg/dL. Several different types of analysis were done to explore the association between the chemicals and lipids. Logistic regression analysis found an adjusted odds ratios for higher quintiles of PFOS of 1.6 (95% CI 1.4 to 1.9) for total cholesterol and 1.6 (95% CI 1.3 to 1.9) for LDL cholesterol.   Stain-Resistant, Nonstick, Waterproof, and Lethal: The Hidden Dangers of C8