International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

The chemicals used to make non-stick coatings may raise the levels of cholesterol in babies and children, new research has found.

Youngsters with the highest levels of the chemicals in their bloodstreams had considerably more total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein - bad cholesterol - compared with children showing lower readings, US researchers revealed.

There was no evidence that exposure to the chemicals directly caused the higher levels, however, there is a link that needs to be investigated further, Stephanie Frisbee of West Virginia University and colleagues wrote in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

More than 12,000 babies and children from the mid-Ohio River Valley were examined for the study.

Bernard Weiss from the University of Rochester in New York, who is an expert on toxins, said:
"They interfere with brain development, which leaves its mark on later behavioural functions such as cognitive performance."

It is important to have a balanced level of cholesterol in the body to reduce the risks of heart disease and high blood pressure later in life.

Posted by David Smith