Just when you think convenience is a friend and fast food is its tool, then it would be safe to say that you may think twice before grabbing that piece of battered chicken drumstick or plate of French fries as studies have shown that aside from gaining weight you get an extra dose of hormone-disrupting chemicals into your system.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on recent research findings, revealed that people who spend more time dining on drive-through burgers, pizzas and fries were found to have high levels of phthalates in their system.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologist’s recently released a report back in 2013 where they tested that high level phthalates exposure could cause adverse effects on a female’s reproductive system, as well as infertility, low IQ and behavioural problems among children
The CDC consolidated data from 2003 to 2009 from almost 8,900 Americans from all age groups based on nationwide surveys on nutrition and health, asking them disclose anything that they ate for the past 4 hours and provide their urine samples.
Phthalates are chemical compounds commonly used to increase flexibility of plastic, as well as vinyl products. It also has have many uses in various industries like cosmetics, insecticides, plastic packaging and plastic wrap, among others.
The study was intended to show a perspective on the possibility of how fast food fare may expose the consumers to chemicals that are not usual ingredients for edible food products.
The Center for Disease Control, on the other hand, released a separate report supporting the previous research where people are exposed to phthalates for consuming food that come in contact with containers made with the chemical.
While adults usually get the chemical into their system either through food or breathing it in when surrounded by phthalate-rich materials, children are more likely to have increased levels into their system due to the frequency of hand-to-mouth activity, especially during playtime.
Furthermore, females have a higher risk of having phthalates in their system through the use of cosmetics like hair, skin and other beauty products.
Once it enters into the body, the chemicals are then converted to broken-down products called metabolites that pass out with urine from the system.
The extent of effects of phthalates on humans are still being worked on by science, but animal testing have shown that certain types of phthalates adversely affected their reproductive systems.
Evidence of these impacts have been tested positive for humans as well. Studies conducted by the American Chemistry Council revealed that while phthalates pose no health risk within tolerable levels, however, several quarters that with the current increase in consumption of foods exposed to these chemicals, further research needs to be conducted to determine its effects.
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