Eating out increases levels of phthalates in the body, study finds

[helvella]

Don't eat out! Well, rarely do anyway.

And never at our nearest eating out place - a MacDonald's.

Eating out increases levels of phthalates in the body, study finds

US research discovers 35% increase in levels of chemical linked to disease in those who dined at restaurants the previous day

Eating at restaurants and fast food chains may increase exposure to potentially harmful hormone-disrupting chemicals used to increase the flexibility and durability of plastic, a study has found.

Rest of article available here:

theguardian.com/society/201...

[Baobabs]

Oh no!!!!!! I never do, BUT tonight is the night, a first for a long time. I can well believe it. The further away food production happens from our physical being the more lethal it is, I believe. Let’s return to raising and killing our own meat/fish and growing our own veg/fruit in our back gardens.

[BadHare]

May I repost, please?

I don't often eat out unless I can get something better or different than I can make myself.

I wonder if the higher phytates are the result of processed prepackaged in plastic junk food rather than restaurants that serve real/fresh food?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to BadHare]

Of course you may!

Nice to know - but no need to ask.

Yes - the cause is not exactly obvious. We can jump to all sorts of conclusions but detailed information is required.

[BadHare in reply to helvella]

It's polite to ask!

Food provenance is important for nutrition, & obviously how it's handled.

[diogenes Remembering]

Supporting paper on this:

Environ Res. 2017 Feb;153:63-72. doi: 10.1016/j.envres.2016.11.014. Epub 2016 Nov 29.

Does exposure to phthalates influence thyroid function and growth hormone homeostasis? The Taiwan Environmental Survey for Toxicants (TEST) 2013.

Huang HB, Pan WH, Chang JW, Chiang HC, Guo YL, Jaakkola JJ, Huang PC.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

Previous epidemiologic and toxicological studies provide some inconsistent evidence that exposure to phthalates may affect thyroid function and growth hormone homeostasis.

OBJECTIVE:

To assess the relations between exposure to phthalates and indicators of thyroid function and growth hormone homeostasis disturbances both among adults and minors.

METHODS:

We conducted a population-based cross-sectional study of 279 Taiwanese adults (≥18 years old) and 79 minors (<18 years old) in 2013. Exposure assessment was based on urinary biomarkers, 11 phthalate metabolites measured by using online liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry. Indicators of thyroid function included serum levels of thyroxine (T4), free T4, triiodothyronine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and thyroxine-binding globulin (TBG). Growth hormone homeostasis was measured as the serum levels of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3). We applied multivariate linear regression models to examine these associations after adjusting for covariates.

RESULTS:

Among adults, serum T4 levels were negatively associated with urinary mono-(2-ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl) phthalate (β=-0.028, P=0.043) and the sum of urinary di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) metabolite (β=-0.045, P=0.017) levels. Free T4 levels were negatively associated with urinary mono-ethylhexyl phthalate (MEHP) (β=-0.013, P=0.042) and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate (β=-0.030, P=0.003) levels, but positively associated with urinary monoethyl phthalate (β=0.014, P=0.037) after adjustment for age, BMI, gender, urinary creatinine levels, and TBG levels. Postive associations between urinary MEHP levels and IGF-1 levels (β=0.033, P=0.006) were observed. Among minors, free T4 was positively associated with urinary mono benzyl phthalate levels (β=0.044, P=0.001), and IGF-1 levels were negatively associated with the sum of urinary DEHP metabolite levels (β=-0.166, P=0.041) after adjustment for significant covariance and IGFBP3.

CONCLUSIONS:

Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that exposure to phthalates influences thyroid function and growth hormone homeostasis.

[Aurealis in reply to diogenes]

...and I was just about to volunteer to take part in follow-up research ... not to be

[RedApple Administrator]

Caption under burger photo says: Burgers and sandwiches were linked to higher phthalate levels in the research, but only if purchased at a restaurant or cafe.

Surely this must also apply to the many 'on the go' foods pre-packed in plastic containers (e.g. sandwiches) that are sold by the gazillion in supermarkets?

[MiniMum97 in reply to RedApple]

Possibly it may be something to do with the types of plastics being used in the days deferent packaging.

If you are trying to avoid toxic plastics and endocrine disrupting chemicals. One easy thing to do is to not reuse disposable plastics for food or water storage.. They degrade easily and release more chemicals into your food than non-disposable plastics.

Of course we should all be trying to reduce our use of disposable plastics anyway fit environmental reasons!

😊