(NaturalPath) A study out of the Milken Institute School of Public Health for the George Washington University, went out to look at the associations between recent fast food intake and BPA (Bisphenol A) and urinary metabolites. The researchers note that, “Phthalates and BPA are widely used industrial chemicals that may adversely impact human health. Human exposure is ubiquitous and can occur through diet, including consumption of processed or packaged food.”
Phthalates and BPA can leach, migrate, or off-gas from products over time and enter the human body via ingestion, inhalation and dermal absorption. Once in the body, the researchers say, phthalates and BPA are quickly metabolized and excreted in urine, with elimination half-lives less than 24 hours.
The researchers used 24-hour dietary recall data and evaluated three factors: fast food intake (percent of total energy intake (TEI) from fast food, fast food-derived fat intake (percent of TEI from fat in fast food) and fast food intake by food group (dairy, eggs, grains, meat, and other).
The results of the study were that there was a positive, dose response relationship between fast food intake and exposure to phthalates, but not BPA. If these results are confirmed with later studies, it could inform individual and regulatory exposure reduction strategies.
Razi Berry, Founder and Publisher of Naturopathic Doctor News & Review (ndnr.com) and NaturalPath (thenatpath.com), has spent the last decade as a natural medicine advocate and marketing whiz. She has galvanized and supported the naturopathic community, bringing a higher quality of healthcare to millions of North Americans through her publications. A self-proclaimed health-food junkie and mother of two; she loves all things nature, is obsessed with organic gardening, growing fruit trees (not easy in Phoenix), laughing until she snorts, and homeschooling. She is a little bit crunchy and yes, that is her real name.