The chemical bisphenol A – or BPA for short – is used in tens of thousands of consumer products, but new studies are showing that we have been seriously misled with regards to the safety of the commonly used chemical. According to a study published in the Journal of Fertility and Sterility, BPA may be up to 100 times more toxic than initially suspected:
With the use of a culture system that we developed (foetal testis assay [FeTA]), we previously showed that 10 nmol/L BPA reduces basal testosterone secretion of human foetal testis explants and that the susceptibility to BPA is at least 100-fold lower in rat and mouse foetal testes.
According to the study, the dangers of BPA toxicity are not just limited to bisphenol A, but to lesser- known alternatives, specifically bisphenol F and bisphenol S, which are commonly included in products that are advertised as being “BPA-free”.
As a result, many consumers are purchasing products that are billed as being “BPA-free”, unaware that these products contain other bisphenol products that are just as, if not more, toxic than bisphenol A.
Repairing the Damage Done by BPA Exposure
While chemicals like bisphenol A, bisphenol S and bisphenol F are clearly unsafe for use, especially in products that come into contact with food and drink – like water bottles and plastic food containers – there is plenty of research that indicates that the effects of BPA can be mitigated or even reversed when eliminating it altogether is not an option.
According to recent studies, the following compounds have been notably beneficial in counteracting the effects of BPA toxicity:
1. Genistein: Genistein is a phytocompound, found in soy, red clover and coffee. It is capable of reducing the adverse effect of bisphenol A exposure.
2. Alpha Lipoid Acid: Commonly found in health food stores, this compound has been revealed to mitigated bisphenol A-induced testicular toxicity.
3. Probiotics: beneficial bacterial strains such as bifidobacterium breve and lactobacillus casei can help reduce the intestinal absorption of bisphenol A.
4. Folic Acid: This vitamin can mitigate the adverse epigenetic effects of bisphenol A.
5. Black Tea: Black tea is a natural herbal compound found to reduce the adverse effects of
bisphenol A on cells.
6. Kimchi Probiotics: This fermented cabbage extract has been found to contain a bacterial strain
which degrades bisphenol A.
7. Royal Jelly: This natural elixir can inhibit the estrogenic and potentially cancer-causing effects
of bisphenol A.
Obviously it’s best to avoid exposure to bisphenols as much as possible, but with BPA-containing products proliferating the marketplace exposure to these toxins is often as simple as drinking from a plastic water bottle, and can’t be avoided all the time.
Fortunately, as science catches up to the new threats posed by even small doses of BPA (as we have seen), more and more ways of mitigating the toxic effects of these chemicals are coming to light.