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BPA Risk Higher In Some Canned Foods Compared To Others

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A new study has shed some light on the debate regarding the amount of the industrial chemical Bisphenol A (BPA) in canned food, and how much it impacts human health, reports CNN.

For over 40 years, BPA has been used in consumer products, such as the inside of cans, to prevent metal corrosion and breakages, preserving food. This study has pinpointed which foods exactly pose the highest health risks.

According to the data, canned soups and pasta can expose consumers to higher levels of BPA compared to canned fruits and vegetables. And while these foods are linked to BPA concentrations, canned beverages, meat and fish are not.

The study collected information on 7,669 people ages six years and older in the United States from 2003 and 2008, as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The researchers analyzed the data, which told them what each person had eaten in the past 24 hours as well as whether there were BPA concentrations detected in each individual’s urine on the same day.

Jennifer Hartle, lead author and a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University School of Medicine, said, “Urinary BPA concentrations are evidence of BPA exposure.”

The researchers discovered that people who had eaten one canned food item in the past day had around 24% higher levels of BPA in their urine, compared to those who had not consumed any. The consumption of two or more canned food items gave a reading of around 54% higher concentrations of BPA.

Hartle said it was a clear indication that the BPA levels were associated with canned food.

The researchers then assessed what kind of canned foods were eaten, and discovered that eating canned soup resulted in an alarming 229% higher concentration of BA compared with those who had not eaten any canned food. Canned pasta resulted in 70% higher concentrations, while canned fruits or vegetables resulted in 41% higher concentrations.

A person who eats a single can of mushroom soup is likely to have more exposure to BPA than someone who eats three cans of peaches, Hartle explained.

The reason canned soup results in higher BPA concentrations might have something to do with how much heat is needed for soup when it is processed, resulting in a higher amount of fat, Hartle said.

Scientists continue to study whether BPA exposure from canned food consumption poses any health risks. The issue is how BPA might disrupt the normal hormonal responses in the body. For example, it can mimic the effects of estrogen, which might lead to reprogramming cells and causing more severe health problems. Hartle said,

BPA exposure is associated with many adverse health effects including diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, reproductive development issues, amongst others.

A report released in March by non-government organizations in the USA and Canada stated that two out of three cans commonly found on grocery shelves are positive for BPA. But John Rost, chairperson of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, clarified that the overall BPA exposure in canned foods remains low.

“It’s important for consumers to realize that these levels are well below a ‘part per million’ in their food,” he said. “It is also important to note that recent reviews by FDA, the European Food Safety Authority, Health Canada and other regulatory bodies have shown that current exposures to BPA are safe for all consumers regardless of age or gender.”

Regulators worldwide have different ideas of what a safe BPA concentration is, but the Environmental Protection Agency says that it must not exceed 50 micrograms per kilogram of body weight each day.

Lauren Sucher, from the US Food and Drug Administration, stated that “The FDA has performed extensive research and reviewed hundreds of studies about BPA’s safety, and has determined that current authorized uses of BPA in food packaging are safe.”

Also, Sucher noted that many studies on BPA had shown it to have a high potential for contamination, which may affect study results to show higher levels of BPA than what is there since BPA can commonly be found in the environment.

This new study now adds plenty of data to the continuing BPA discussing, and is important as it shows how what people eat can affect their BPA levels.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Research.

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