BPA is an industrial chemical that is added to many products.
Some experts claim that it is toxic, and that people should make an effort to avoid it.
But is BPA really that bad, and should you avoid it at all costs?
This is a detailed review of BPA and its health effects.
What is BPA?
BPA (bisphenol-A) is a chemical that is added to many commercial products, including food containers and hygiene products.
It was first discovered in the 1890s, but chemists in the 1950s realized that it could be mixed with other compounds to produce strong and resilient polycarbonate plastics.
These days, BPA-containing plastics are commonly used in food containers, baby bottles and other things.
BPA is also used to make epoxy resins, which are put on the inner lining of canned food containers to keep the metal from corroding and breaking.
Bottom Line: BPA is a synthetic compound found in many plastics, as well as in the lining of canned food containers.
Which Products Contain the Most BPA?
Common products that may contain BPA include:
- Items packaged in plastic containers.
- Canned foods.
- Toiletries.
- Feminine hygiene products.
- Thermal printer receipts.
- CDs and DVDs.
- Household electronics.
- Eyeglass lenses.
- Sports equipment.
- Dental filling sealants.
It’s worth noting that many manufacturers have now switched to BPA-free products, in which BPA has been replaced by bisphenol-S (BPS) or bisphenol-F (BPF).
However, recent research reports that even small concentrations of BPS and BPF may disrupt the function of your cells in a way similar to BPA. Thus, BPA-free bottles may not be the solution (1).
Plastic items labeled with the recycling numbers 3 and 7 or the letters “PC” likely contain BPA, BPS or BPF.
Bottom Line: BPA and its alternatives — BPS and BPF — may be found in many commonly used products, which are often labeled with recycling codes 3, 7 or the letters “PC.”
How Does BPA Enter the Body?
The main source of BPA exposure is through your diet (2).
That’s because when BPA containers are made, not all the BPA gets sealed into the product. This allows part of it to break free and mix with the container’s contents once food or fluids are added (3, 4).
For instance, a recent study found that BPA levels in urine decreased by 66% following 3 days of avoiding packaged foods (5).
Another study had participants eat one serving of either fresh or canned soup daily for 5 days. Urine levels of BPA were 1,221% higher in those who consumed the canned soup (6).
Additionally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that BPA levels in breastfed babies were up to 8 times lower than those measured in babies fed liquid formula from BPA-containing bottles (7).
Bottom Line: The diet is by far the biggest source of BPA for humans, particularly packaged foods and canned foods. Babies fed formula from BPA-containing bottles also have high levels in their bodies.
Is BPA Bad For You?
Many experts claim that BPA is harmful, but others disagree.
This section explains what BPA does in the body, and why its health effects remain controversial.
BPA’s Biological Mechanisms
BPA is said to mimic the structure and function of the hormone estrogen (2).
Due to its estrogen-like shape, BPA can bind to estrogen receptors and influence bodily processes, such as growth, cell repair, fetal development, energy levels and reproduction.
In addition, BPA may also have the ability to interact with other hormone receptors, such as thyroid hormone receptors, thus altering their function (8).
Your body is sensitive to changes in hormone levels, which is the reason why BPA’s ability to mimic estrogen is believed to affect your health.
The BPA Controversy
Given the information above, many people wonder whether BPA should be banned.
Its use has already been restricted in the EU, Canada, China and Malaysia, particularly in products for babies and young children.
Some US states have followed suit, but no federal regulations have been instituted.
In 2014, the FDA released its latest report, which confirmed the original 1980s daily exposure limit of 50 mcg/kg (about 23 mcg/lb) daily and concluded that BPA is probably safe at the levels currently allowed (9).
However, research in rodents shows negative effects of BPA at much lower levels, as little as 10 mcg/kg daily. Also, research in monkeys shows that levels equivalent to those currently measured in humans have negative effects on reproduction (10, 11).
A review from 2006 may help explain the discrepancies. It revealed that all the industry-funded studies found no effects of BPA exposure, while 92% of the studies not funded by industry found significant negative effects (12).
Bottom Line: BPA has a similar structure as the hormone estrogen. It may bind to estrogen receptors and affect the function of your body.
BPA May Cause Infertility in Men and Women
BPA may affect several aspects of fertility.
One study observed that women with frequent miscarriages had about 3 times as much BPA in their blood as women with successful pregnancies (13).
What’s more, studies of women undergoing fertility treatments showed those with higher levels of BPA to have proportionally lower egg production and be up to 2 times less likely to become pregnant (14, 15).
Among couples undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF), men with the highest BPA levels were 30–46% more likely to produce lower-quality embryos (16).
A separate study found that men with higher BPA levels were 3-4 times more likely to have a low sperm concentration and low sperm count (17).
Additionally, men working in BPA manufacturing companies in China reported 4.5 times more erectile difficulty and less overall sex-life satisfaction than other men (18).
However, although the effects above are notable, several recent reviews agree that more studies are needed to strengthen the body of evidence (19, 20, 21, 22).
Bottom Line: Several studies have shown that BPA can negatively affect many aspects of both male and female fertility.
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