Post by Joann on Jul 12, 2011 19:56:24 GMT -5
Here is a small but powerful study
Taking Plastic Off Improves Food Safety
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
July 11, 2011
MedPage Today Action Points
Explain that reducing exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates may be as simple as eating fresh food that hasn't been packaged in plastic.
Note that metabolites of a commonly used phthalate -- bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP -- fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days of not eating foods that were packaged in plastic.
Point out that bisphenol-A and DEHP are regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health, although such effects remain under study.
Review
Reducing exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates may be as simple as eating fresh food that hasn't been packaged in plastic, researchers suggested.
In a short intervention trial, making the switch to fresh food resulted in a 66% drop in participants' urinary concentration of bisphenol A, according to Ruthann Rudel, MS of the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass., and colleagues.
And metabolites of a commonly used phthalate -- bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP -- fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days, Rudel and colleagues reported in the July issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
One implication is that removing such compounds from packaging would "significantly decrease exposure for adults and children," the researchers argued.
Both compounds are regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health, although such effects remain under study, the researchers noted.
In the meantime, many people would like to know how to avoid exposure to the compounds, Rudel and colleagues argued. To help fill the gap, they conducted a small study in the San Francisco area.
Five families, each with two children, were enrolled in a three-phase study that lasted eight days. On the first two days, participants ate their usual diet, including packaged foods and meals out of the home.
Then they had three days of a "fresh food intervention," during which they ate meals prepared by a caterer advised by study researchers on how to avoid exposure to the compounds. The food was packaged almost exclusively without contact with plastic. All families had the same meals.
Then, for three more days, they ate in their habitual fashion, Rudel and colleagues reported.
Urine samples were taken twice a day in the evening on days one and two, four and five, and seven and eight. The researchers did not collect samples on days three and six, when the families were switching on and off the fresh food.
Analysis showed:
Compared with the pre-intervention phase, geometric mean levels of bisphenol A fell 66% during the fresh food phase, and then rebounded, with post-intervention levels 2.02 times what was seen during the fresh food phase. Both changes were significant at P<0.005.
The DEHP metabolite MEHP fell 53% from the first phase to second and then rebounded 21% from second to third. The first change was significant at P<0.05 but the rebound did not reach significance.
Another DEHP metabolite, dubbed MEOHP, fell 55% from the first phase to second and then rebounded 16%. The first change was significant at P<0.05 but the second change was not.
And the DEHP metabolite MEHHP fell 56% and then rebounded 22%. Again, the first change was significant at P<0.05 but the second was not.
Rudel and colleagues also found that maximum levels were reduced 76% for bisphenol A and 93% to 96% for DEHP metabolites.
The researchers cautioned that the study was small and conducted in a single region of the U.S., so the results may not apply more generally.
The study was supported by the Passport Foundation and the Susan S. Bailis Breast Cancer Research Fund at Silent Spring Institute. Rudel is employed by the institute.
Primary source: Environmental Health Perspectives
Source reference:
Rudel RA, et al "Food packaging and bisphenol A and bis(2-Ethyhexyl) bhthalate exposure: Findings from a dietary intervention" Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 914 - 920.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2004-2011 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Joann
Taking Plastic Off Improves Food Safety
By Michael Smith, North American Correspondent, MedPage Today
July 11, 2011
MedPage Today Action Points
Explain that reducing exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates may be as simple as eating fresh food that hasn't been packaged in plastic.
Note that metabolites of a commonly used phthalate -- bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP -- fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days of not eating foods that were packaged in plastic.
Point out that bisphenol-A and DEHP are regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health, although such effects remain under study.
Review
Reducing exposure to bisphenol A and phthalates may be as simple as eating fresh food that hasn't been packaged in plastic, researchers suggested.
In a short intervention trial, making the switch to fresh food resulted in a 66% drop in participants' urinary concentration of bisphenol A, according to Ruthann Rudel, MS of the Silent Spring Institute in Newton, Mass., and colleagues.
And metabolites of a commonly used phthalate -- bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP -- fell by between 53% and 56% within a few days, Rudel and colleagues reported in the July issue of Environmental Health Perspectives.
One implication is that removing such compounds from packaging would "significantly decrease exposure for adults and children," the researchers argued.
Both compounds are regarded as endocrine disruptors with potential risks to human health, although such effects remain under study, the researchers noted.
In the meantime, many people would like to know how to avoid exposure to the compounds, Rudel and colleagues argued. To help fill the gap, they conducted a small study in the San Francisco area.
Five families, each with two children, were enrolled in a three-phase study that lasted eight days. On the first two days, participants ate their usual diet, including packaged foods and meals out of the home.
Then they had three days of a "fresh food intervention," during which they ate meals prepared by a caterer advised by study researchers on how to avoid exposure to the compounds. The food was packaged almost exclusively without contact with plastic. All families had the same meals.
Then, for three more days, they ate in their habitual fashion, Rudel and colleagues reported.
Urine samples were taken twice a day in the evening on days one and two, four and five, and seven and eight. The researchers did not collect samples on days three and six, when the families were switching on and off the fresh food.
Analysis showed:
Compared with the pre-intervention phase, geometric mean levels of bisphenol A fell 66% during the fresh food phase, and then rebounded, with post-intervention levels 2.02 times what was seen during the fresh food phase. Both changes were significant at P<0.005.
The DEHP metabolite MEHP fell 53% from the first phase to second and then rebounded 21% from second to third. The first change was significant at P<0.05 but the rebound did not reach significance.
Another DEHP metabolite, dubbed MEOHP, fell 55% from the first phase to second and then rebounded 16%. The first change was significant at P<0.05 but the second change was not.
And the DEHP metabolite MEHHP fell 56% and then rebounded 22%. Again, the first change was significant at P<0.05 but the second was not.
Rudel and colleagues also found that maximum levels were reduced 76% for bisphenol A and 93% to 96% for DEHP metabolites.
The researchers cautioned that the study was small and conducted in a single region of the U.S., so the results may not apply more generally.
The study was supported by the Passport Foundation and the Susan S. Bailis Breast Cancer Research Fund at Silent Spring Institute. Rudel is employed by the institute.
Primary source: Environmental Health Perspectives
Source reference:
Rudel RA, et al "Food packaging and bisphenol A and bis(2-Ethyhexyl) bhthalate exposure: Findings from a dietary intervention" Environ Health Perspect 2011; 119: 914 - 920.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
© 2004-2011 MedPage Today, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Joann