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Endocrine Disruptors - Contributor to Atrial Fibrillation and Much More
Posted by Jackie
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Endocrine Disruptors - Contributor to Atrial Fibrillation and Much More June 03, 2012 03:17PM |
Endocrine Disruptors - Contributor to Atrial Fibrillation and Much More
Chemicals known as endocrine disruptors (aka hormone mimics or xenoestrogens) have long been of significant concern to scientists.
Endocrine mimics can either increase or block hormones and disrupt cellular activity. Increases in the estrogen load can result in adverse health effects in men, women, children, newborns and fetuses. The endocrine system includes hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pineal gland, reproductive system (ovaries and testes) thymus and pancreas. Each system secretes specific hormones which allow the body to function properly and in harmony.
Adrenal and thyroid dysfunctions are known links to AF. Mary Shoman’s website (thyroid.about.com) offers numerous reports on thyroid dysfunction caused by environmental chemicals. Arrhythmias can result from either hypo- or hyperthyroidism. Low testosterone in males can cause arrhythmia. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) increase estrogen effects by mimicry which block or overpower testosterone function. Women experience estrogen imbalances from increased estrogen that manifest in PMS and hormonal headaches including estrogen-dominant migraines. Increasing incidence of early onset puberty is in the news and is related to cumulative exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.
A recent rodent study (reviewed later) found a connection between endocrine disruptor, Bisphenol A, and arrhythmia in females. Earlier reports (2009) on BPA and various adverse health conditions in animals including arrhythmia were reported in Science News. Especially note-worthy was the in-vitro testing of heart muscle cells which indicated triggering of contractile changes. While no definitive links have been formalized in human clinical studies, it seems reasonable to consider the potential association since the evidence supports that we are on EDC exposure overload.
Therefore, when attempting to determine influencing factors or contributors to Afib or other ailments, we should consider our exposure to EDCs and what we might do to avoid them (ideal) or, at the very least, attempt to limit intentional contact. Most often, we are unaware that we are continually assaulted by exposure to these stealth chemicals and their potential harm.
Scientists link EDCs in humans with breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, infertility, birth and developmental defects, low sperm count, genital deformation, early menstruation, migraines, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, brain and nervous system alterations, ADD, ADHD, immune system dysfunction (including sensitization and allergies) and newborn exposure to chemicals in crib mattresses resulting in asthma, neurological and developmental/impairment disabilities.
As we become ‘more civilized,’ our exposure to environmental chemicals and toxins (including these EDCs) has increased and continues to increase with alarming significance. It’s hard to know every place they lurk. There is conflicting info when you search for specifics. They are in thermal paper receipts from stores, ATMs and gas pumps. And, in toys, eyeglasses, cosmetics, canned foods, plastic bottles and plastic food packaging and wraps, in fabric treatments, and polyurethane foam in furniture and mattresses and more (see list in the study). If you are tested, your blood or urine will usually contain them. They are found in breast milk and cord blood in newborns.
Some EDCs among many include: Bisphenol A (BPA), Phthalates (plasticizers), Parabens, Dioxins, PBDE (polybrominated diphelyl ethers), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and are found in some pesticides, insecticides, herbicides plus the heavy metals…cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead.
Routes of exposure (also, some of many) include: industrial air pollution, adhesives, detergents, flooring, inks, paints and coatings, plastics, rubber, house-hold cleaning products, microwave popcorn and cooking bags, carpet cleaning products, water pollution from agriculture and industry, rocket propellant, medical tubing, personal care products-- deodorant, fragrances, hand lotion, insect repellent, shampoo, perfumes, soap, nail polish, hair spray, air fresheners. Knowing what is suspect helps us make wise choices. All-natural soaps and personal care items have been available for many years for this very reason and the fact that so many people have become sensitive.
Not all plastics contain BPA or other harmful chemicals. In the case of plastic water bottles, Google shows there is still confusion over what’s safe and what is not. Even stainless steel bottles may have a plastic coating or liner.
Bisphenol A (Wikipedia)
A recent Health Canada study found that the majority of canned soft drinks it tested had low, but measurable levels of bisphenol A.[157] Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health in 2010, found BPA in 63 of 105 samples of fresh and canned foods, foods sold in plastic packaging, and in cat and dog foods in cans and plastic packaging. This included fresh turkey, canned green beans, and canned infant formula.[158] While most human exposure is through diet, exposure can also occur through air and through skin absorption.[159]
A 2011 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, “Food Packaging and Bisphenol A and Bis(2-Ethyhexyl) Phthalate Exposure: Findings from a Dietary Intervention," selected 20 participants based on their self-reported use of canned and packaged foods to study BPA. Participants ate their usual diets, followed by three days of consuming foods that were not canned or packaged. The study's findings include: 1) evidence of BPA in participants’ urine decreased by 50% to 70% during the period of eating fresh foods; and 2), participants’ reports of their food practices suggested that consumption of canned foods and beverages and restaurant meals were the most likely sources of exposure to BPA in their usual diets. The researchers note that, even beyond these 20 participants, BPA exposure is widespread, with detectable levels in urine samples in more than an estimated 90% of the U.S. population.[160
In 2009, a study found that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased urinary bisphenol A levels by two thirds, from 1.2 micrograms/gram creatinine to 2 micrograms/gram creatinine.[169] Consumer groups recommend that people wishing to lower their exposure to bisphenol A avoid canned food and polycarbonate plastic containers (which shares resin identification code 7 with many other plastics) unless the packaging indicates the plastic is bisphenol A-free.[170] To avoid the possibility of BPA leaching into food or drink, the National Toxicology Panel recommends avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, putting plastics in the dishwasher, or using harsh detergents.[171
[en.wikipedia.org]
Since phthalates (plasticizers) are ubiquitous and since currently the spotlight is on BPA, perhaps there is a link that is not yet recognized as causal between BPA exposure, accumulation levels and the increased incidence of arrhythmia across wider population segments including the increasing numbers of younger people diagnosed with AF.
Scientists are increasingly critical of the government for not holding Big Chem accountable. Recently, the Endocrine Society reminded the FDA of their responsibility to ban these harmful chemicals from food packaging. Eight medical organizations in Science magazine formalized a request for tighter regulations last year. They warn that EDCs may affect hormonal changes that could take many years before showing up as detrimental --recall the DES debacle and the fact that DES daughters didn’t learn of the risk of vaginal and breast cancer until decades later. Now DES is banned. Europe has taken steps for tighter controls on EDCs and Canada became the first country in the world to declare BPA as a toxic substance. Recently, the US FDA declined to act on the BPA problem due to “the fierce industrial lobbying by industry who wished to be able to continue to use BPA.”
Food packaging seems to be a universal and very large concern since small amounts of plasticizers easily transfer into food upon contact even without heating. This, coupled with endocrine disrupting chemicals used as fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides add to the cumulative toxic burden from food.
Unless you have your own organic garden or buy at the local farmer’s open-air market, most everything today comes packaged or wrapped in some type of plastic or has a plastic coating as a liner. A visit to Whole Foods revealed a whole wall devoted to non-organic, refrigerated, plastic-packaged, sliced or chopped “fresh” vegetables. Whether they were washed prior to slicing and packaging was not readily obvious. Endocrine disruptors as agricultural chemicals/pesticides may have been sliced right into the unwashed produce and, of course, the physical contact of the produce with the plastic is unavoidable.
Plastic migration into foods from wrapping/packaging materials has been under investigation for over 20 years but little has been done to limit the exposure. The medical community certainly seems to be oblivious to yet another public health hazard or concern that daily/weekly/yearly exposure may lead to contributing factors of endocrine system disruption and poor health.
Solution?
Awareness and Avoidance.
Regular Detoxing programs with special focus on liver detoxing.
Detox your home.
Curcumin (tumeric) helps significantly with liver detoxing. Check the Resource section for link to Curcumin – the Spice of Life. It is important to use the most effective form of curcumin (C3 Complex ). Milk Thistle or Silymarin, dandelion root, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, glutathione, taurine, glycine… many excellent liver detoxing and support nutrients from food and supplements all work well.
Knowledge = health.
Jackie
The Sept 2011 rodent study indicated a connection between BPA and elevated 17β-estradiol (E2) via calcium handling which increased arrhythmia in females.
BPA exposure traced to abnormal heart rhythms
A new study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22166976) by NIEHS grantees reports that the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), commonly found in many plastic household items, has been linked to increased frequency of arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, in animals.
Plastics made with BPA are used in many consumer products, including food and beverage containers, toys, eyeglasses, computers, kitchen appliances, and medical equipment. Epoxy resins containing the chemical are used in dental work and in metal coatings for food cans, pipes, cars, dairy equipment, office equipment, and other metal products. BPA is also used in the production of certain flame retardants and as a color developer in some thermal receipt paper.
While the findings of this study are intriguing, this is only one of many NIEHS-funded studies currently underway to better understand if there are health effects related to BPA. A single study is not sufficient to make a determination about the health effects in humans.
Experiments in rats and mice
Prior to their investigation, the effects of BPA on the heart were largely unknown, according to study co-authors Scott Belcher, Ph.D., and Hong-Sheng Wang, Ph.D., from the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics. The study reports that low doses of BPA and estrogen can act alone, or in combination, to increase arrhythmias in female rats and mice. Mice and rats in the study had normal heart rhythms at baseline, before administration of BPA or the estrogen, estradiol, Belcher said.
The investigators studied heart rhythms in both the working heart and in cultured heart muscle cells. In both models, exposure to BPA increased the frequency of arrhythmias in females but not males. Administration of estrogen alone also increased the frequency of arrhythmias in females.
Arrhythmias were most frequent in the female rats and mice, when they received both BPA and estrogen at levels normally found in female humans.
"We have identified a new possible risk for female heart health, caused by increased levels of estrogens in the body and exposure to the environmental estrogen BPA," Belcher said.
Heart rhythm irregularities
Arrhythmias occur when the heart beats too slowly or too fast, or when it skips heartbeats. These heart rhythm irregularities can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, or sudden cardiac death. If a fast heart rate affects the heart's ability to pump, it can cause a heart attack.
“From a cardiac physiologist’s point of view, I think it is intriguing that a common environmental chemical can have such marked impact on the heart, as demonstrated in our study,” said Wang. Combined with recent epidemiological evidence, our work points to a potentially significant role of environmental BPA exposure in cardiovascular disease, particularly in females,” Wang added.
The rapid proarrhythmic effect of BPA was observed at very low doses, as low as subnanomolar or picomolar range, which is within the range of human BPA exposure, according to most epidemiological studies in the literature. (At the weblink, there is a response diagram.)
These figures demonstrate how acute low dose exposures to BPA and estradiol promote arrhythmic events in female rat heart cells. (A) Low dose levels of BPA elicit spontaneous contraction in myocytes. (
BPA exposure induces calcium transients. (C-D) Percentage of female and male myocytes with triggered activities following estradiol and BPA exposure. [www.niehs.nih.gov]
Official Abstract:
Rapid estrogen receptor-mediated mechanisms determine the sexually dimorphic sensitivity of ventricular myocytes to 17β-estradiol and the environmental endocrine disruptor bisphenol A.
Belcher SM, Chen Y, Yan S, Wang HS.
Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0575, USA.
Conclusions/Significance
Physiologically-relevant concentrations of BPA and E2 promote arrhythmias in a female-specific manner in rat hearts; the pro-arrhythmic actions of estrogens are mediated by ERβ-signaling through alterations of myocyte Ca2+ handling, particularly increases in SR Ca2+ leak. Our study provides the first experimental evidence suggesting that exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and the unique sensitivity of female hearts to estrogens may play a role in arrhythmogenesis in the female heart.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[www.plosone.org]
Resources
There are many web links on the endocrine disruptor topic. BPA is just one.
Type into a search the words “endocrine disruptors and add the name of the malady.
What Did the September 2008 JAMA Articles Say About BPA?
A study in the September 17, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the association between blood BPA levels and certain diseases. Higher BPA levels were associated with higher incidences of cardiovascular diagnoses and diabetes as well as abnormal levels of certain liver enzymes; no correlation was found between BPA and any other diseases
[www.wholefoodsmarket.com]
Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration With Medical Disorders and Laboratory Abnormalities in Adults
[jama.jamanetwork.com]
More troubling news about BPA -
Animal studies link bisphenol A with new adverse health effects
[www.sciencenews.org]
BPA may cause arrhythmia, heart attacks in women
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Natural News
[www.naturalnews.com]
FDA's Bisphenol A Decision Has Doctors Frowning
[www.rodale.com]
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES
Is "BPA-free" the Same as Safe?
[www.nrdc.org]
Plastic wraps for food article…excellent. Identifies names of plasticizers… [www.ecologycenter.org]
Photo Menu of Endocrine Disruptors – 20 pages
[www.google.com]
Environmental Working Group
[www.ewg.org]
Mary Shoman
Is Everyday Pollution Disrupting Your Hormones?
[thyroid.about.com]
Our Stolen Future
[www.ourstolenfuture.com]
Cracking the Autism Riddle: Toxic Chemicals, a Serious Suspect in the Autism Outbreak
Harvey Karp, MD
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
Does perinatal exposure to endocrine disruptors induce autism spectrum and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders? Review.
Acta Paediatr. 2012 Mar 28.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Information on Detoxing programs
[www.womentowomen.com]
Warnings from 14 years ago
"Plastics and Microwaving," Nutrition Week, November 20, 1998;28(44):7/ The Wall Street Journal, October 12, 1998;.
Summary: Substances called endocrine disruptors, which leak from some plasticizers, may be linked to birth defects, cancer or fertility problems as a result of microwaving certain foods packaged in a particular way. Hazardous plasticizers were found in deli cheese wrap and commercial cling wrap, which leaked both in the microwave and in cold temperatures. Safe cookware and other products for microwave cooking include glass or ceramic dishes with lids, waxed paper, plain white paper towels and plastic cookware made of polyethylene which do not contain plasticizers. Consumers should only cook in containers labeled as microwave safe and use them only once. Recycled dairy food containers or deli wraps should be avoided, and meat, poultry or seafood should be removed from their trays or plastic before defrosting in the microwave.
Is It Safe to Play Yet?[
Going to Extreme Lengths to Purge Household Toxins
[www.nytimes.com]
Reported in online HSI News….(2012) by Alan Spreen, MD.
Three years ago, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study linked high BPA urinary levels to increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Then, in another JAMA study published last year, subjects who ate freshly-made soup every day for five days had an average BPA level of 1.1 micrograms per litre of urine. Average BPA in subjects who ate soup from cans was an astounding 20.8 micrograms per litre!
Recently, the Natural Resources Defence Council petitioned the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of BPA in any container where food makes contact with the chemical.
But instead of reviewing existing evidence, FDA scientists conducted their own BPA research. The final opinion from FDA researchers: Blood levels of BPA are too low to do any harm.
However, here's what medical expert Dr. Alan Spreen has to say: "The FDA loves to play those games where 'it's so little it doesn't matter.' So a little mercury is okay, though we don't argue that it's toxic. A little radioactivity is okay, though we don't argue that it's toxic. A little lead, fluoride, formaldehyde, cadmium, aluminum, etc., ad nauseum.
"What they always end up saying is, 'Keep it below our totally arbitrary cut-off level that we just made up.'"
Meanwhile, two industries are celebrating. The food industry is an obvious winner. Food producers won't have to spend millions refashioning their canned goods.
But the truly big winner is the chemical industry. Bloomberg News reports that BPA production profits run about $8 billion per year.
An FDA ban of BPA wouldn't hurt you, me, or millions of other consumers. The ban would only hurt chemical industry giants and a few large food manufacturers. As usual, "taking action" effectively means a half-hearted attempt at doing sweet nothing!
[www.healthiertalk.com]
From Smart Publications:
The compound Bisphenol A or BPA has been in the news again recently. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic, which is used to make everything from baby and water bottles to sports equipment and medical devices.
Unfortunately, BPA is toxic to humans and the most recent studies on it show it may negatively impact the development of newborns.
Dr. Marianne Marchese, author of the book 8 Weeks to Women’s Wellness, has championed the elimination of BPA from consumer products for some time now. She recently wrote a short article on the topic that provides further evidence that such a ban is needed. [www.smart-publications.com]
Previous posts on endocrine disruptors
Environmental toxins & Epigenetics
[www.afibbers.org]
Thanks to BPA and other chemicals the new age of puberty for girls is 10
[www.afibbers.org]
CDC report measuring environmental chemicals in human blood and urine
[www.afibbers.org]
Curcumin for Detoxing
Curcumin – The Spice of Life
[www.afibbers.org]
Chemicals known as endocrine disruptors (aka hormone mimics or xenoestrogens) have long been of significant concern to scientists.
Endocrine mimics can either increase or block hormones and disrupt cellular activity. Increases in the estrogen load can result in adverse health effects in men, women, children, newborns and fetuses. The endocrine system includes hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pineal gland, reproductive system (ovaries and testes) thymus and pancreas. Each system secretes specific hormones which allow the body to function properly and in harmony.
Adrenal and thyroid dysfunctions are known links to AF. Mary Shoman’s website (thyroid.about.com) offers numerous reports on thyroid dysfunction caused by environmental chemicals. Arrhythmias can result from either hypo- or hyperthyroidism. Low testosterone in males can cause arrhythmia. Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) increase estrogen effects by mimicry which block or overpower testosterone function. Women experience estrogen imbalances from increased estrogen that manifest in PMS and hormonal headaches including estrogen-dominant migraines. Increasing incidence of early onset puberty is in the news and is related to cumulative exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals.
A recent rodent study (reviewed later) found a connection between endocrine disruptor, Bisphenol A, and arrhythmia in females. Earlier reports (2009) on BPA and various adverse health conditions in animals including arrhythmia were reported in Science News. Especially note-worthy was the in-vitro testing of heart muscle cells which indicated triggering of contractile changes. While no definitive links have been formalized in human clinical studies, it seems reasonable to consider the potential association since the evidence supports that we are on EDC exposure overload.
Therefore, when attempting to determine influencing factors or contributors to Afib or other ailments, we should consider our exposure to EDCs and what we might do to avoid them (ideal) or, at the very least, attempt to limit intentional contact. Most often, we are unaware that we are continually assaulted by exposure to these stealth chemicals and their potential harm.
Scientists link EDCs in humans with breast cancer, prostate cancer, heart disease, infertility, birth and developmental defects, low sperm count, genital deformation, early menstruation, migraines, insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, brain and nervous system alterations, ADD, ADHD, immune system dysfunction (including sensitization and allergies) and newborn exposure to chemicals in crib mattresses resulting in asthma, neurological and developmental/impairment disabilities.
As we become ‘more civilized,’ our exposure to environmental chemicals and toxins (including these EDCs) has increased and continues to increase with alarming significance. It’s hard to know every place they lurk. There is conflicting info when you search for specifics. They are in thermal paper receipts from stores, ATMs and gas pumps. And, in toys, eyeglasses, cosmetics, canned foods, plastic bottles and plastic food packaging and wraps, in fabric treatments, and polyurethane foam in furniture and mattresses and more (see list in the study). If you are tested, your blood or urine will usually contain them. They are found in breast milk and cord blood in newborns.
Some EDCs among many include: Bisphenol A (BPA), Phthalates (plasticizers), Parabens, Dioxins, PBDE (polybrominated diphelyl ethers), PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) and are found in some pesticides, insecticides, herbicides plus the heavy metals…cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead.
Routes of exposure (also, some of many) include: industrial air pollution, adhesives, detergents, flooring, inks, paints and coatings, plastics, rubber, house-hold cleaning products, microwave popcorn and cooking bags, carpet cleaning products, water pollution from agriculture and industry, rocket propellant, medical tubing, personal care products-- deodorant, fragrances, hand lotion, insect repellent, shampoo, perfumes, soap, nail polish, hair spray, air fresheners. Knowing what is suspect helps us make wise choices. All-natural soaps and personal care items have been available for many years for this very reason and the fact that so many people have become sensitive.
Not all plastics contain BPA or other harmful chemicals. In the case of plastic water bottles, Google shows there is still confusion over what’s safe and what is not. Even stainless steel bottles may have a plastic coating or liner.
Bisphenol A (Wikipedia)
A recent Health Canada study found that the majority of canned soft drinks it tested had low, but measurable levels of bisphenol A.[157] Furthermore, a study conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health in 2010, found BPA in 63 of 105 samples of fresh and canned foods, foods sold in plastic packaging, and in cat and dog foods in cans and plastic packaging. This included fresh turkey, canned green beans, and canned infant formula.[158] While most human exposure is through diet, exposure can also occur through air and through skin absorption.[159]
A 2011 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives, “Food Packaging and Bisphenol A and Bis(2-Ethyhexyl) Phthalate Exposure: Findings from a Dietary Intervention," selected 20 participants based on their self-reported use of canned and packaged foods to study BPA. Participants ate their usual diets, followed by three days of consuming foods that were not canned or packaged. The study's findings include: 1) evidence of BPA in participants’ urine decreased by 50% to 70% during the period of eating fresh foods; and 2), participants’ reports of their food practices suggested that consumption of canned foods and beverages and restaurant meals were the most likely sources of exposure to BPA in their usual diets. The researchers note that, even beyond these 20 participants, BPA exposure is widespread, with detectable levels in urine samples in more than an estimated 90% of the U.S. population.[160
In 2009, a study found that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased urinary bisphenol A levels by two thirds, from 1.2 micrograms/gram creatinine to 2 micrograms/gram creatinine.[169] Consumer groups recommend that people wishing to lower their exposure to bisphenol A avoid canned food and polycarbonate plastic containers (which shares resin identification code 7 with many other plastics) unless the packaging indicates the plastic is bisphenol A-free.[170] To avoid the possibility of BPA leaching into food or drink, the National Toxicology Panel recommends avoiding microwaving food in plastic containers, putting plastics in the dishwasher, or using harsh detergents.[171
[en.wikipedia.org]
Since phthalates (plasticizers) are ubiquitous and since currently the spotlight is on BPA, perhaps there is a link that is not yet recognized as causal between BPA exposure, accumulation levels and the increased incidence of arrhythmia across wider population segments including the increasing numbers of younger people diagnosed with AF.
Scientists are increasingly critical of the government for not holding Big Chem accountable. Recently, the Endocrine Society reminded the FDA of their responsibility to ban these harmful chemicals from food packaging. Eight medical organizations in Science magazine formalized a request for tighter regulations last year. They warn that EDCs may affect hormonal changes that could take many years before showing up as detrimental --recall the DES debacle and the fact that DES daughters didn’t learn of the risk of vaginal and breast cancer until decades later. Now DES is banned. Europe has taken steps for tighter controls on EDCs and Canada became the first country in the world to declare BPA as a toxic substance. Recently, the US FDA declined to act on the BPA problem due to “the fierce industrial lobbying by industry who wished to be able to continue to use BPA.”
Food packaging seems to be a universal and very large concern since small amounts of plasticizers easily transfer into food upon contact even without heating. This, coupled with endocrine disrupting chemicals used as fertilizers, pesticides, and fungicides add to the cumulative toxic burden from food.
Unless you have your own organic garden or buy at the local farmer’s open-air market, most everything today comes packaged or wrapped in some type of plastic or has a plastic coating as a liner. A visit to Whole Foods revealed a whole wall devoted to non-organic, refrigerated, plastic-packaged, sliced or chopped “fresh” vegetables. Whether they were washed prior to slicing and packaging was not readily obvious. Endocrine disruptors as agricultural chemicals/pesticides may have been sliced right into the unwashed produce and, of course, the physical contact of the produce with the plastic is unavoidable.
Plastic migration into foods from wrapping/packaging materials has been under investigation for over 20 years but little has been done to limit the exposure. The medical community certainly seems to be oblivious to yet another public health hazard or concern that daily/weekly/yearly exposure may lead to contributing factors of endocrine system disruption and poor health.
Solution?
Awareness and Avoidance.
Regular Detoxing programs with special focus on liver detoxing.
Detox your home.
Curcumin (tumeric) helps significantly with liver detoxing. Check the Resource section for link to Curcumin – the Spice of Life. It is important to use the most effective form of curcumin (C3 Complex ). Milk Thistle or Silymarin, dandelion root, NAC, Alpha Lipoic Acid, glutathione, taurine, glycine… many excellent liver detoxing and support nutrients from food and supplements all work well.
Knowledge = health.
Jackie
The Sept 2011 rodent study indicated a connection between BPA and elevated 17β-estradiol (E2) via calcium handling which increased arrhythmia in females.
BPA exposure traced to abnormal heart rhythms
A new study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22166976) by NIEHS grantees reports that the chemical Bisphenol A (BPA), commonly found in many plastic household items, has been linked to increased frequency of arrhythmias, or heartbeat irregularities, in animals.
Plastics made with BPA are used in many consumer products, including food and beverage containers, toys, eyeglasses, computers, kitchen appliances, and medical equipment. Epoxy resins containing the chemical are used in dental work and in metal coatings for food cans, pipes, cars, dairy equipment, office equipment, and other metal products. BPA is also used in the production of certain flame retardants and as a color developer in some thermal receipt paper.
While the findings of this study are intriguing, this is only one of many NIEHS-funded studies currently underway to better understand if there are health effects related to BPA. A single study is not sufficient to make a determination about the health effects in humans.
Experiments in rats and mice
Prior to their investigation, the effects of BPA on the heart were largely unknown, according to study co-authors Scott Belcher, Ph.D., and Hong-Sheng Wang, Ph.D., from the University of Cincinnati (UC) Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics. The study reports that low doses of BPA and estrogen can act alone, or in combination, to increase arrhythmias in female rats and mice. Mice and rats in the study had normal heart rhythms at baseline, before administration of BPA or the estrogen, estradiol, Belcher said.
The investigators studied heart rhythms in both the working heart and in cultured heart muscle cells. In both models, exposure to BPA increased the frequency of arrhythmias in females but not males. Administration of estrogen alone also increased the frequency of arrhythmias in females.
Arrhythmias were most frequent in the female rats and mice, when they received both BPA and estrogen at levels normally found in female humans.
"We have identified a new possible risk for female heart health, caused by increased levels of estrogens in the body and exposure to the environmental estrogen BPA," Belcher said.
Heart rhythm irregularities
Arrhythmias occur when the heart beats too slowly or too fast, or when it skips heartbeats. These heart rhythm irregularities can cause fatigue, lightheadedness, fainting, or sudden cardiac death. If a fast heart rate affects the heart's ability to pump, it can cause a heart attack.
“From a cardiac physiologist’s point of view, I think it is intriguing that a common environmental chemical can have such marked impact on the heart, as demonstrated in our study,” said Wang. Combined with recent epidemiological evidence, our work points to a potentially significant role of environmental BPA exposure in cardiovascular disease, particularly in females,” Wang added.
The rapid proarrhythmic effect of BPA was observed at very low doses, as low as subnanomolar or picomolar range, which is within the range of human BPA exposure, according to most epidemiological studies in the literature. (At the weblink, there is a response diagram.)
These figures demonstrate how acute low dose exposures to BPA and estradiol promote arrhythmic events in female rat heart cells. (A) Low dose levels of BPA elicit spontaneous contraction in myocytes. (
BPA exposure induces calcium transients. (C-D) Percentage of female and male myocytes with triggered activities following estradiol and BPA exposure. [www.niehs.nih.gov]
Official Abstract:
Rapid estrogen receptor-mediated mechanisms determine the sexually dimorphic sensitivity of ventricular myocytes to 17β-estradiol and the environmental endocrine disruptor bisphenol A.
Belcher SM, Chen Y, Yan S, Wang HS.
Department of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0575, USA.
Conclusions/Significance
Physiologically-relevant concentrations of BPA and E2 promote arrhythmias in a female-specific manner in rat hearts; the pro-arrhythmic actions of estrogens are mediated by ERβ-signaling through alterations of myocyte Ca2+ handling, particularly increases in SR Ca2+ leak. Our study provides the first experimental evidence suggesting that exposure to estrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and the unique sensitivity of female hearts to estrogens may play a role in arrhythmogenesis in the female heart.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
[www.plosone.org]
Resources
There are many web links on the endocrine disruptor topic. BPA is just one.
Type into a search the words “endocrine disruptors and add the name of the malady.
What Did the September 2008 JAMA Articles Say About BPA?
A study in the September 17, 2008 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association examined the association between blood BPA levels and certain diseases. Higher BPA levels were associated with higher incidences of cardiovascular diagnoses and diabetes as well as abnormal levels of certain liver enzymes; no correlation was found between BPA and any other diseases
[www.wholefoodsmarket.com]
Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration With Medical Disorders and Laboratory Abnormalities in Adults
[jama.jamanetwork.com]
More troubling news about BPA -
Animal studies link bisphenol A with new adverse health effects
[www.sciencenews.org]
BPA may cause arrhythmia, heart attacks in women
Tuesday, January 03, 2012
Natural News
[www.naturalnews.com]
FDA's Bisphenol A Decision Has Doctors Frowning
[www.rodale.com]
PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES
Is "BPA-free" the Same as Safe?
[www.nrdc.org]
Plastic wraps for food article…excellent. Identifies names of plasticizers… [www.ecologycenter.org]
Photo Menu of Endocrine Disruptors – 20 pages
[www.google.com]
Environmental Working Group
[www.ewg.org]
Mary Shoman
Is Everyday Pollution Disrupting Your Hormones?
[thyroid.about.com]
Our Stolen Future
[www.ourstolenfuture.com]
Cracking the Autism Riddle: Toxic Chemicals, a Serious Suspect in the Autism Outbreak
Harvey Karp, MD
[www.huffingtonpost.com]
Does perinatal exposure to endocrine disruptors induce autism spectrum and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders? Review.
Acta Paediatr. 2012 Mar 28.
[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]
Information on Detoxing programs
[www.womentowomen.com]
Warnings from 14 years ago
"Plastics and Microwaving," Nutrition Week, November 20, 1998;28(44):7/ The Wall Street Journal, October 12, 1998;.
Summary: Substances called endocrine disruptors, which leak from some plasticizers, may be linked to birth defects, cancer or fertility problems as a result of microwaving certain foods packaged in a particular way. Hazardous plasticizers were found in deli cheese wrap and commercial cling wrap, which leaked both in the microwave and in cold temperatures. Safe cookware and other products for microwave cooking include glass or ceramic dishes with lids, waxed paper, plain white paper towels and plastic cookware made of polyethylene which do not contain plasticizers. Consumers should only cook in containers labeled as microwave safe and use them only once. Recycled dairy food containers or deli wraps should be avoided, and meat, poultry or seafood should be removed from their trays or plastic before defrosting in the microwave.
Is It Safe to Play Yet?[
Going to Extreme Lengths to Purge Household Toxins
[www.nytimes.com]
Reported in online HSI News….(2012) by Alan Spreen, MD.
Three years ago, a Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) study linked high BPA urinary levels to increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Then, in another JAMA study published last year, subjects who ate freshly-made soup every day for five days had an average BPA level of 1.1 micrograms per litre of urine. Average BPA in subjects who ate soup from cans was an astounding 20.8 micrograms per litre!
Recently, the Natural Resources Defence Council petitioned the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the use of BPA in any container where food makes contact with the chemical.
But instead of reviewing existing evidence, FDA scientists conducted their own BPA research. The final opinion from FDA researchers: Blood levels of BPA are too low to do any harm.
However, here's what medical expert Dr. Alan Spreen has to say: "The FDA loves to play those games where 'it's so little it doesn't matter.' So a little mercury is okay, though we don't argue that it's toxic. A little radioactivity is okay, though we don't argue that it's toxic. A little lead, fluoride, formaldehyde, cadmium, aluminum, etc., ad nauseum.
"What they always end up saying is, 'Keep it below our totally arbitrary cut-off level that we just made up.'"
Meanwhile, two industries are celebrating. The food industry is an obvious winner. Food producers won't have to spend millions refashioning their canned goods.
But the truly big winner is the chemical industry. Bloomberg News reports that BPA production profits run about $8 billion per year.
An FDA ban of BPA wouldn't hurt you, me, or millions of other consumers. The ban would only hurt chemical industry giants and a few large food manufacturers. As usual, "taking action" effectively means a half-hearted attempt at doing sweet nothing!
[www.healthiertalk.com]
From Smart Publications:
The compound Bisphenol A or BPA has been in the news again recently. BPA is found in polycarbonate plastic, which is used to make everything from baby and water bottles to sports equipment and medical devices.
Unfortunately, BPA is toxic to humans and the most recent studies on it show it may negatively impact the development of newborns.
Dr. Marianne Marchese, author of the book 8 Weeks to Women’s Wellness, has championed the elimination of BPA from consumer products for some time now. She recently wrote a short article on the topic that provides further evidence that such a ban is needed. [www.smart-publications.com]
Previous posts on endocrine disruptors
Environmental toxins & Epigenetics
[www.afibbers.org]
Thanks to BPA and other chemicals the new age of puberty for girls is 10
[www.afibbers.org]
CDC report measuring environmental chemicals in human blood and urine
[www.afibbers.org]
Curcumin for Detoxing
Curcumin – The Spice of Life
[www.afibbers.org]
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