Fast food consumption linked to higher levels of industrial chemical called phthalates
According to a study published today by researchers at Milken Institute School of Public Healthat the George Washington University, people who reported consuming more fast food in a national survey were exposed to higher levels of potentially harmful chemicals known as phthalates. These belong to a class of industrial chemicals used to make food packaging materials, tubing for dairy products, and other items used in the production of fast food.
“People who ate the most fast food had phthalate levels that were as much as 40 percent higher,” says lead author Ami Zota, ScD, MS, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute SPH. “Our findings raise concerns because phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems in children and adults.”This study, which appears in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is one of the first to look at fast-food consumption and exposure to these chemicals.
Zota and her colleagues asked 8,877 participants to answer detailed questions about their diet in the past 24 hours, including consumption of fast food. These participants also provided researchers with a urinary sample that could be tested for the breakdown products of two specific phthalates—DEHP and DiNP. Results show that people with the highest fast food consumption had 23.8% higher levels of the breakdown product for DEHP and had nearly 40% higher levels of DiNP metabolites in their urine samples.
The researchers also looked for exposure to another chemical, called Bisphenol A or BPA, found in plastic food packaging. They believe exposure to this can lead to health and behavior problems, especially for young children. This study found no association between total fast food intake and BPA. However, Zota and her colleagues found that people who ate fast food meat products had higher levels of BPA than people who reported no fast food consumption.
But Zota notes that DEHP and DiNP are two phthalates still in use despite concerns that they leach out of products and get into the human body. Studies of the health impact of exposure to these chemicals have suggested they can damage the reproductive system and they may lead to infertility.
Large studies that might conclusively link phthalates in fast food and health problems could take years to conduct. For now, Zota offers some common sense advice. “People concerned about this issue can’t go wrong by eating more fruits and vegetables and less fast food,” Zota suggests. “A diet filled with whole foods offers a variety of health benefits that go far beyond the question of phthalates.”
Source: Public Health.
