Bisphenol A trigger for food allergy?

Study: Bisphenol A could trigger food allergies

08/06/2014

According to a new study, the toxic chemical bisphenol A contained in many plastic products could also trigger food allergies. The substance has long been associated with a variety of health hazards and is designed, among other things, to increase the risk of cancer or diabetes.

Researchers base their findings on experiments with rats
According to a recent study, the toxic chemical bisphenol A contained in many plastic products could also trigger food allergies. Therefore, children of mothers exposed to a low dose of bisphenol A during pregnancy or breastfeeding may be at higher risk of developing intolerance to food or even food allergy in adulthood. The French researchers, who base their findings on experiments with rats, published the study in the journal „The FASEB Journal“.

Connection between food intolerance and bisphenol A
The scientists studied two groups of animals receiving different doses of Bisphenol A. It showed that rats whose mothers were exposed to the chemical, later developed an intolerance or even an allergy to a protein protein with which they were fed. „We have for the first time established a link between food intolerance and bisphenol A in animals“, Eric Houdeau from the National Agricultural Research Institute (Inra) said AFP news agency. Thus, the effect on the immune system was even greater at a lower dose, so that limits such as the last five micrograms per kilogram of body weight estimated by the EU Food Safety Authority were difficult.

Results can not be easily transferred to humans
However, Houdeau acknowledged that the results of the study could not easily be applied to humans. But there is a risk that further investigations are necessary. Now, Inra scientists are addressing the dangers of bisphenol S, which has been used in many food packaging and baby bottles since 2010, often as a replacement for bisphenol A. In Sweden, authorities and organizations had responded years ago to reports of toxic substances in baby bottles. Ulrika Dahl from the Naturschutzvereinigung Naturskyddsföreningen said: „Our advice is not to use plastic bottles but glass or stainless steel.“

Bisphenol A endangers the health
Bisphenol A is not only considered to be hormone-altering and nerve damaging, but also to increase the risk of cancer and diabetes. A few years ago, a study by the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor showed that bisphenol A severely affects the quality of male sperm. According to another study, the chemical can disrupt the hormonal balance of women and lead to diseases of the ovaries. In addition, it has been reported in the past that girls who have been exposed to the chemical softener bisphenol A during pregnancy of their mothers tend to become aggressive, hyperactive, anxious, and depressed later in life.

Already possible by simple skin contact damage
Bisphenol A is used, among other things, in the interior coating of food cans and in plastic bottles and packaging made of polycarbonate, but also on receipts and tickets. According to studies, even the smallest amounts of the substance can enter the organism through simple skin contact and cause damage. The chemical has been banned in baby bottles since January 2011 across the EU. In France, it is already a bit further: there, the substance is banned in all food packaging from 2015 and in those for infants under three years since early 2013. (ad)