BPA is found in plastic water bottles, containers, and linings for tinned food and drinks. Photo / 123RF
Everyday items could be causing everything from mood swings to infertility and even cancer.
Chemicals found in plastic water bottles, lipsticks, tampons, receipts and even tap water are wreaking havoc on people's hormones, which is linked to a growing number of health problems.
Research published earlier this week reveals more than 90 per cent of receipts contain the so-called 'gender-bending' chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) and its "healthier alternative" Bisphenol S (BPS), which are associated with, ADHD, type 2 diabetes, premature births, early onset of puberty and claimed links to autism, reports the Daily Mail.
Researchers from the Michigan-based non-profit organisation The Ecology Center analyzed 207 paper receipts from a variety of businesses collected between January and April 2017.
However despite their health concerns, such chemicals are frequently added to day-to-day products to provide scent and extend their shelf life.
In a piece for Healthista, editor Anna Magee speaks to reproductive experts, nutritional therapists and dentists on how to avoid such chemicals and detox your life.
Most of us take the mood swings, grumpiness and weight gain of fluctuating hormones for granted.
Yet toxic chemicals in our everyday lives could be making things worse.
Known as "xenoestrogens", these substances, which are found in plastics, cosmetics, sanitary products, receipts and even tap water can mimic the hormone oestrogen and are linked not only to middle-aged spread but also reproductive problems, learning difficulties and even cancer.
Dr Channa Jayasena, a clinical senior lecturer and consultant in reproductive endocrinology at Imperial College London, said: "We know little about such hormone altering chemicals but our increasing exposure to them is a cause for concern.
"The risk of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals is enormous and we're just at the start of learning what they do.
"My concern is that by the time we work out what they actually do, they might be causing diseases we don't know about."
So, what can you do? Start by identifying the sources of fake oestrogens in your life and take simple steps to detox them.
Dr Jayasena said: "Chemicals in plastics behave like oestrogen in our systems when they reach our bloodstream."
Chief offender is BPA found in plastic containers, water bottles and linings for tinned foods and drinks. A 2016 study revealed that two out of three canned foods tested positive for BPA.
A survey by the US Centers for Disease Control found that 93 per cent of the population had measurable amounts of BPA in their systems.
According to the Food Standards Agency, there is European legislation in place which sets a maximum limit on BPA from plastics, however, such risks are being re-evaluated by European authorities due to new scientific information emerging on the dangers of such exposure.
BPA and other xenoestrogens not only effect our waistlines but also our reproductive systems.
Dr Jayasena said: "Men's sperm counts have decreased dramatically in the last decade and we're now looking at the part hormone disrupting chemicals in our packaging, food and water play in this."
Dr Sara Gottfried, a US gynaecologist and author of "The Hormone Cure" and new book, "Younger: The Breakthrough Programme to Reset our Genes and Reverse Ageing", added: "Many problems are co-related with BPA from weight gain to endometriosis and breast cancer.
"This and other xenoestrogen chemicals build up in the body, accelerating ageing and hindering weight loss."
While some companies market plastic products as "BPA-free", substitute chemicals, known as BPS and BPF, may be just as dangerous.
A study in April this year by the Endocrine Society in the US found that exposure to BPS could increase the aggressiveness of breast cancer, while a paper published in Environmental Health Perspectives in 2015 reviewed 32 studies on the subject and found that all three chemicals are hormone disruptors linked to problems such as weight gain and reproductive issues.
• How to detox
Dr Gottfried said: "Heat, microwave use, dishwasher use or leaving a plastic water bottle in the sun can all release such chemicals.
"Avoid microwaving your food with cling film over it or while it's in plastic containers.
"Use stainless steel water bottles where you can, cook and store food in glass, ceramic or stainless steel, and use glass or microwave-safe ceramics for microwaving.
"If you must use plastic containers, don't heat them up".
She also recommends people try and avoid tinned food or rinse their contents carefully before eating.
Dr Jayasena said: "Xenoestrogen chemicals are in our water supply, fruit and vegetables thanks to their use in farming."
For example, while DDT, a pesticide with proven hormone-disrupting effects, has been banned, glyphosate, a similar xenostrogen chemical linked to breast cancer and obesity, which is found in the common garden weedkiller Round Up, is still commonly available.
Round Up is one of many pesticides used in Britain that is made from chemicals with endocrine-disrupting effects, the residues of which leech into our tap water and rivers, and remains on the skin of fruit and vegetables.
• How to detox
Dr Gottfried recommends people drink filtered water, using carbon to absorb impurities and contaminants. Reverse osmosis filters can remove more chemicals but require fitting to taps at home and can be expensive.
Nutritional therapist Daniel O'Shannessy, who is also director of Bodhimaya Health Centre, says people can remove pesticides from the skin of fruit and vegetables by soaking them in water and a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before cooking.
They can also check websites such as the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) for their "dirty dozen" and "clean fifteen"; lists of the most and least contaminated produce.
Dr Gottfried said: "The shiny coating on receipts is giving you a dose of BPA every time you touch it and we know the skin absorbs such chemicals almost as well as when we ingest them."
France is seeking an EU-wide ban on till receipts containing BPA, with most of its receipts being marked "sans BPA".
Such sources of synthetic oestrogens contribute to your overall toxic load, increasing your risk of oestrogen dominance.
Other paper sources of synthetic oestrogens include sanitary towels and tampons, which contains xenoestrogens called dioxins – and are linked to fertility, immune issues and endometriosis – as well as table napkins, which may be coated in BPA.
• How to detox
Try and go receipt free, and look for organic or dioxin-free sanitary products that have not been bleached or dyed. Also opt for unbleached, uncoated napkins.
BPA is used in plastics, with the resins making composite fillings.
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene found that BPA was found in the saliva of all 30 dental patients surveyed, while further research in 2012, published in the journal Paediatrics, found that children fitted with fillings made from a substance containing BPA show more behavioural problems compared to their peers.
• How to detox
Dentist James Goolnik of Bow Lane Dental Group, said: "Composite fillings are the least expensive [around £200 a tooth (NZD $380)] of all fillings after mercury and, as mercury has so many confirmed dangers, many people opt for composite.
"But while many contain synthetic oestrogen chemicals such as BPA, it's now possible to ask for BPA-free composite fillings".
"Alternatively, porcelain won't contain toxic chemicals, is tooth coloured, more durable than composite and is about £500 (NZD $952) a tooth.
"If the filling isn't visible, the best option is gold as it virtually lasts forever, is kinder to your tooth and also contains no toxic chemicals but at around £800 (NZD $1,523) a filling, it's pricey.
"I still wouldn't recommend having plastic fillings removed because of the BPA effect as the removal process not only leads to more tooth tissue being damaged it can aggravate the release of more chemicals into the system."
That lipstick you cannot live without could be adding to your ostrogen load.
In the 1990s, chemicals known as parabens in body creams, lipsticks, scrubs, shampoos and more were identified as xenoestrogens, while in 2004, British researcher Philippa Darbre found them in breast cancer cells.
Likewise, a family of chemicals known as sulphates also have an oestrogen-like effect on the body and are responsible for create lathers in shampoos, body washes, detergents and soaps.
• How to detox
Dr Gottfried said: "Ignore labels such as chemical-free, 'natural' or 'for sensitive skin' as these have no regulated meaning.
Instead, opt for organic skincare and make-up, or products that are sulphate- and paraben-free.
Dr Gottfried said: "Many commercial perfumes and scented candles contain phthalates, a class of chemicals found in a surprising number of common household products such as shampoos, deodorants, body washes, hair gels and nail polishes.
"There's little doubt phthalate chemicals are a key contributor to the inability to lose weight caused by oestrogen dominance.
"Research into the effects of phthalate is ongoing but we know they cause birth defects in male foetuses, are associated with poor egg quality and early menopause in women, and may also be linked to breast cancer and type-2 diabetes".
• How to detox
Look for phthalate-free cosmetics and unscented candles, ideally made from soya wax.
High-grade essential oils in water used with an oil burner are also a great alternative to scented candles.
Simple lifestyle measures can help, according Daniel O'Shaunnessy, a nutritional therapist at the Bodhimaya Health Centre.
• Eat flaxseeds
Constipation can lead to hormonal imbalances by slowing down the passing of hormones from food and water through the gut. Flaxseeds contain fibre that helps ease this.
Try a tablespoon soaked overnight in a glass of water and then added to smoothies, porridge or taken neat.
• Eat broccoli
Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, help detoxify fake oestrogen from the liver.
• Take a probiotic
This will help balance the beneficial microflora in your gut, which can help increase motility, meaning you eliminate toxins faster.
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