Tag Archives: BPA

Detox Diets and Fasts Do Not Work and May Increase Toxins in the Body

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To detox or not to detox? That is the question I had for Gerard Mullin, MD of Johns Hopkins University as he spoke about nutritional detoxification at the 2024 Food & Nutrition Conferences and Expo a few weeks ago.

Dr. Mullin said that toxins are everywhere – in the food we eat, the air we breathe, and the things we touch.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a carcinogen, is in plastics, dental sealants, canned food linings, and cash register receipts.

Phthalates, other carcinogens, are found in fatty milk, butter and meats, along with personal care products, detergents, children’s toys, printing inks, and more.

Heavy metals, like arsenic, mercury and lead, are in food, batteries, paints, plastics, and fertilizers.

For the most part, toxins are “endocrine disruptors” that change the way our hormones regulate bodily functions. In animal studies, endocrine disruptors are linked to cancers, birth defects, diabetes, and other diseases. What is worse is that, when they work together, the sum of their actions is greater than the whole, and they are stored practically forever in body fat. Whether or not an individual develops a problem depends on genetics, level of exposure, and the quality of nutrients in the diet. (more…)

Posted on November 19, 2024 by Natalie K

FDA Denies Ban of BPA in Food Packaging

The Food and Drug Admisnistraion is denying The Natural Resources Defense Council’s (NRDC) request to ban BPA from the United States.

The Food and Drug Administration’s assessment is that the scientific evidence currently suggests that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are not unsafe.

With the support of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program (NTP), scientists at FDA’s National Center for Toxicological Research (NCTR) have been studying BPA. The NCTR researchers have been conducting in-depth studies of BPA since September 2024 to see if there are potential toxic effects of BPA on fetuses, infants and children.

According to a statement released from the FDA, the findings showed the level of BPA from food that could be passed from pregnant mothers to the fetus is so low that it was immeasurable. Researchers fed pregnant rodents 100 to 1,000 times more BPA than people are exposed to through food, and could not detect the active form of BPA in the fetus eight hours after the mother’s exposure. The study also showed BPA exposure to infants were lower than previously believed. In fact, 84 to 92 percent lower than previously estimated. (more…)

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Kristina

Is BPA the Real Culprit of the Obesity Epidemic?

Modern studies are now linking the obesity and diabetes epidemic to modern chemicals, not necessarily our diet and exercise habits.

Scientists are arguing that synthesized substances that are found in things like pesticides and water bottles are actually scrambling hormone signals. These disturbances are being blamed for tricking fat cells into taking in more fat. Another proposed result of hormone disruption is that the pancreas is being mislead into secreting excess insulin, causing interference in the  regulation of carbohydrate and fat breakdown. The main culprit being blamed is bisphenol A, known as BPA. This chemical is found in plastics and food-can linings.

The so-called endocrine disruptor has been the center of a recent Spanish study. “When you eat something with BPA, it’s like telling your organs that you are eating more than you are really eating,” says Angel Nadal, a BPA expert at the Miguel Hernandez University in Spain.

Nadal’s research also finds that BPA triggers the release of almost double the insulin needed to break down food. High insulin levels can desensitize the body to the hormone, which in some people may lead to weight gain and type 2 diabetes. These are arguable findings. The fact that a chemical, not our super-size fast food and sedentary lifestyles, is to blame for the insurmountable numbers of obesity and diabetes cases seems ridiculous, but is there truly merit?

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Posted on February 20, 2024 by Lacy

Fran Drescher Campaigns to Get Carcinogens Out of Household Products

Fran Drescher, herself a uterine cancer survivor, has launched a new campaign to get cancer-causing chemicals out of homes and banned from manufacturing. Drescher points out that these chemicals are in all kinds of household products, from cleaning to body products. So, as part of her Cancer Smhmancer Movement, she’s created “Trash Cancer,” an initiative to help promote awareness about everyday toxins.

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Posted on January 26, 2024 by Margaret

BPA Levels in Canned Tomatoes Threaten Your Family’s Health

It looks like BPA strikes again and this time our canned tomatoes and beans are under attack.

Just a few years ago bisphenol-A, or BPA, a toxic chemical that has been linked to biological problems and developmental problems in the young, was found in many popular reusable water bottles and baby bottles. This discovery gained lots of attention and called for a major change in the manufacturing of many products.

Now it is being found that the lining of most cans contains a resin that can pick up the toxin BPA. Canned tomatoes are more susceptible due to their acidic properties; the acid increases the rate at which BPA is absorbed into food. This is found to be true for canned soda and canned beans as well.

The risk that this poses is argued to be significant, especially for children under the age of six. Due to their smaller size, the levels of BPA that children are exposed to is higher than that of adults. Children also metabolize BPA slower therefore the toxins stay in their systems longer causing a higher risk for damage to their developing bodies.

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Posted on June 23, 2024 by Lacy