Drive-thru burgers and fries, movie theater popcorn with three days worth of fat and calories, video games, smart phones and TV, there are plenty of villains in the war against obesity. But all of the usual suspects don't explain the latest segment of the population with rising obesity rates - infants.

Research from Harvard University shows infant obesity has risen more than 70 percent since 1980. The numbers are staggering and confusing because babies eat only formula or breast milk and they've never been much into exercise.

Why Are Babies Getting Fat?

Local researchers believe it a common household chemical may be to blame. "Research has shown since 2001 that being exposed to BPA during development changes your body weight," explained Tufts University Scientists, Dr. Laura Vandenberg.

BPA, or Bisphenol-A, is found in hundreds of consumer products. "Humans are most likely exposed to BPA through oral exposures," Vandeberg said. "BPA is used to line the inside of cans and that's thought to be a major exposure in adults."

Dr. Vandenberg and her colleagues have evidence that mice exposed to tiny amounts BPA while in the womb gained more weight than mice that were not exposed. The animals didn't eat more and they got the same amount of exercise. "What actually happens is the fat cells have more fat in them so each cell is actually getting larger," Vandenberg said.

PFOA, PFOS are found throughout the home and the environment, experts say

Chemicals found in carpeting, non-stick cookware and fabrics are linked to an increase in thyroid disease, new research suggests.

British researchers analyzed blood serum levels of two types of perfluorinated chemicals in nearly 4,000 U.S. adult men and women, using data from U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Women whose blood levels of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) was in the highest quartile were more than twice as likely to report having thyroid disease as those in the lowest two quartiles. The findings were similar in men, but the results were not statistically significant.

Among men, researchers found an increase in the likelihood of thyroid disease among those who had high levels of perfluoroctane sulphonate (PFOS) in their blood, but the same association was not found in women.

The researchers cautioned that while the data show an association between the chemicals and thyroid disease, they do not prove cause and effect, meaning there could be other explanations for why people with high levels of the compounds in their blood had more thyroid disease.

"We have provided the first evidence of a statistical association between PFOA blood levels and thyroid disease in the 'ordinary' U.S. adult population," said senior study author Tamara Galloway, a professor of ecotoxicology at University of Exeter. "In this type of human population research, it is not possible to be sure whether this is cause or effect. That needs more research."

The study will be published Jan. 21 in the online issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. (GentleNurturing.com has obtained a peer-reviewed advanced copy of the study which can be dowloaded as a PDF HERE.)

Last week The New York Times reported that the Food and Drug Administration is now willing to look into the health hazards of Bisphenol-A (BPA). Given that BPA is present in the lining of infant formula cans, the article tells us the FDA recommends that nursing mothers continue breastfeeding for twelve months.

But there's a catch.

The same New York Times article failed to mention that BPA has also been found in breast milk itself. Researchers believe that BPA arrives in breast milk via the countless food and beverage containers we adults use every day that also contain BPA.

The effects of BPA are potentially serious and long lasting, particularly for children whose developing bodies are most vulnerable. Numerous scientific studies have shown that exposures to low doses of BPA especially during prenatal development and early infancy are associated with genital abnormalities in male babies, early puberty in girls, insulin resistant (Type 2) diabetes, obesity, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), breast cancer, and infertility in men.

Toxicologist Urvashi Rangan talks about the possible hidden dangers in plastics and the simple steps you can take to prevent potential contamination.

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The Consumer Product Safety Commission on Tuesday announced the recall of about 635,000 cribs after the death of a 6-month-old child and dozens of reports of safety problems.

The cribs, distributed by Barbados-based Dorel Asia, feature hardware that can fail, causing the drop-side to detach from the crib. When the drop-side detaches, it creates a space in which an infant or toddler can become trapped and suffocate or strangle, the agency said.

In addition, the cribs can pose an entrapment and strangulation hazard when a slat is damaged. This can occur when the crib is in use or in storage, when it is being put together, taken apart or reassembled, or during shipping and handling.

The safety commission said a 6-month-old from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, became trapped and died in one of the cribs after the drop-side hardware broke. The agency and Dorel Asia received 31 reports of drop-side incidents and 36 of slat breakage; a total of 10 injuries were reported.

In a separate statement, Dorel Asia said it had learned from a safety investigator that the 6-month-old's crib had been previously broken and that the parents had used duct tape to hold it together.

Research Suggests Women Can Have More than Ice Chips Without Increased Risk of C-Section, Complications

To eat or not to eat during labor?

New research may change the tradition of women having only ice chips while giving birth.

"Early Show contributor Dr. Holly Phillips of WCBS-TV in New York explained that women's consumption is limited to ice chips to try to avoid aspiration -- a condition that causes food in the stomach to move into the lungs when women need general anesthesia for a C-section.

However, she said, attitudes are changing; for example, general anesthesia is hardly ever used for a C-section.

Studies also support ta new outlook on eating during labor.

Research just released by the Cochrane Systematic Review of five previous studies found that 3,000 women at low risk of needing a C-section who had something to eat or drink during labor were at no increased risk of complications.

"There were no increased inductions -- no increased rate of C-sections or any other complications," Phillips said. "I think a lot of women would welcome the opportunity to have something to eat or drink during labor, because I think it's called labor for a reason. It's hard work. You need fuel to get through the hard work."