There’s already a lot of concern about bisphenol-A (BPA). A study published today from the University of Missouri suggests that standard estimates for how much of the substance it takes to harm you could be skewed.
Scientists studying BPA typically give an animal (or in rare cases, people) an amount of the estrogen-mimicking compound suspended in a drop of a benign fluid, such as corn oil. But outside of the lab, people are largely exposed to BPA through food, after the chemical has leeched out of the lining of cans or polycarbonate water bottles.
In the study, researchers found that when mice ate BPA mixed in to their food over 24 hours, the rodents ended up with peak blood levels of BPA more than double that of mice who ingested a single equivalent dose of BPA in corn oil.
“Your liver is overwhelmed processing the food you ate to handle the additional BPA,” explains study author Cheryl Rosenfeld, Ph.D. As a result, more of the active, harmful form of BPA winds up in your blood.
Since a smaller proportion of BPA passes through the liver from the single-dose method, earlier studies may have had to give animals much higher amounts to see a comparable effect.
The question now is whether it takes less BPA than previously believed to increase the risk of prostate cancer, diabetes, or its other harmful health effects. We’ll only find out after further studies using the food method determine how harmful BPA really is. In the meantime, you can protect yourself by brushing up on the real BPA risks
—Denny Watkins