People who ate canned soup each day for five days showed a more than 1,200% increase in urinary bisphenol A compared with those who consumed fresh soup daily for the same period, a new study revealed Tuesday. Bisphenol A (BPA) is an industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic for water bottles and food containers, as well as the protective lining in metal cans.
Last year, Canada became the first country to declare the BPA A to be toxic. That same year, a Statistics Canada survey found that 91% cent of Canadians had the chemicals in their bodies.
The results of the study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), were published online in the Journal of the Medical Association.
"We've known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body. This study suggests that canned foods may be an even greater concern, especially given their wide use," Jenny Carwile, the lead author of the study, said in a statement.
Exposure to BPA has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity in humans.
For the study, the researchers recruited student and staff volunteers from HSPH. One group consumed a 12-ounce serving of vegetarian canned soup each day for five days and another group consumed 12 ounces of vegetarian fresh soup daily for five days.
After a two-day "washout" period, the groups reversed their assignments, the study said.
"The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected and may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily,” said said Karin Michels, who co-authored the study.
“It may be advisable for manufacturers to consider eliminating BPA from can linings,"
Poster Comment:
I presume this applies to cans with the white plastic lining and not to ones with only metal.