Researchers have confirmed that the chemical found in plastic food and drink containers causes heart disease. Traces of the chemical, BPA (Biphenol A), are detectable in 90 per cent of people.
Researchers from the Peninsula Medical School at the University of Exeter studied BPA levels in a large US population over a three-year period and concluded that there is a link to heart disease.
Previously researchers at the University of Exeter in the UK found that those people with the highest levels of BPA in their body were also more likely to have heart disease and diabetes.
Several countries have banned the chemical in baby feeding bottles and toys after concerns that it posed a health risk to infants and this study is further ammunition to those campaigning for a complete ban of the chemical. However the chemicals industry is likely to fight a complete ban. BPA is one of the most highly-produced chemicals in the world, with over 2.2 million tonnes (6.4 billion pounds) manufactured every year.
Researchers from the University of Exeter found that people with the highest levels of BPA in their body were also the ones most likely to have heart disease and diabetes.
The average BPA exposure in the group was 20 micrograms a day, but a quarter of participants who were exposed to higher BPA levels of up to 50 micrograms a day were three times more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease than someone in the 20 micrograms group, and those in the higher group were also 2.4 times more likely to suffer diabetes.
So how do you go about avoiding BPA?
Here are 3 things you can do to avoid the toxins:
• Don’t warm up food whilst it is in a plastic container because heat helps to release the chemical.
• Avoid any plastic containers that can be recycled and plastic water bottles…go for the glass ones. Especially do not reuse them.
• Cling film also leaches chemicals into the food it is covering, so it is better to put the food remains into a glass container with a lid.
The other toxin in plastics is phthalates, and this, with the BPA, are both oestrogen mimics and can create havoc with our hormonal balance. Dioxins are also a highly toxic chemical in plastics that when heated at high temperatures, or frozen will leach into our food and water and ultimately into our cells.
We live in a toxic environment which puts a huge strain on our body and especially the liver.
New research is showing that our toxic environment is to blame for many of our chronic health problems and the reason for that is that our liver, that has to metabolise all the toxins we take into our body, becomes congested and is unable to clear the toxins.
Some people have shown alcohol abuse of their liver even though they do not drink, and this is caused by a toxic overload.
My message to you is to watch out for these chemicals and give you liver, heart and pancreas a chance!