Harvard Study Shows Soup May Be Harmful

Canned soup that is, because of the high levels of BPA in the soup and the high levels that were measured in the soup eaters urine.

According to the study performed by the researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, concentrations of bisphenol A, also known as BPA, a chemical found in certain plastics and an endocrine disruptor, was 1221% higher as measured in the urine of 75 volunteers who ate 12 ounces of canned (Progresso) soup daily for 1 week as compared to those who ate homemade soup.

image from UPI.com

BPA is found in the lining of cans and by nature and chemical composition, leeches into the soup. The industry uses over 6 billion pounds per year of this chemical in everything from plastic water bottles, to can linings, to thermal receipt paper.   BPA has been proven to  be a strong estrogen imitator and causes changes in the cell similar to estradiol, a substance used for prescription female hormone replacement therapy.

Manufacturers of BPA continue to insist it is safe.  Ask John T Rost, chairman of the North American Metal Packing Alliance.  He likes to cite a study published by the National Institute of Health showing that even though the BPA levels are high in the urine, the blood levels in most (83%) of the subjects studied were low.  He fails to notice that the study which he cites begins “By virtue of its binding to steroid hormone receptors….”    Maybe he thinks we won’t notice that part.

Go to the “I heart BPA” website and you will see the statement: “BPA is generally not detected in canned beverages, and only extremely low levels have been reported to migrate into some canned foods.”

That’s not what the recent Harvard study found.

This news comes on the heels of another study  published in October 2011 which raised a possible link between BPA and mothers who had hyperactive, depressed, and anxious female children.  Mothers who ingested higher than normal levels of BPA during pregnancy, were found to give birth to girls who had behavioral problems.  Boys were not affected.  This would match with the theory that BPA effects estrogen, or female hormones.  The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal “Pedicatrics”.

BPA is all around us and we can’t exactly escape it.  But we can, when making food and beverage choices, think about the BPA that may be present.  Canned food is very cheap and convenient.  You have to make the choice whether it’s worth the cost of BPA exposure.

Here’s some way you can reduce your exposure:

• choose powdered baby formula rather than liquid
• small children and pregnant women should limit their consumption of canned soups and canned pasta, which had the highest levels of BPA
• rinse canned fruit of vegetables before consumption
• make sure your infant’s bottle is BPA free
• look for the letters PC on the bottom of plastic containers and avoid them.  This stands for polycarbonate containing BPA and has the #7 recycling number, (although not all #7’s contain BPA)
• choose recyclable plastics labeled 1, 2, and 4 which do not contain BPA
• choose metal water bottles that do not have a plastic lining
• NEVER use plastic containers in the microwave as heating increasing the leeching

You can read more about plastic safety here.

Recent study link BPA with reproductive capabilities

Recent report shows that BPA lasts for generations in brain and other functions.

2012 study links BPA with narrowing of the heart arteries leading to heart disease.

For natural skincare visit MOON Organics.

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My solution to BPA in canned soup ›

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Categories: cancer, child safety, environmental hazards, health, healthy living blogs

Tags: BPA harmful effects, BPA in soup, BPA infant pregnant woman safety, BPA plastic safety, BPA safety, Harvard BPA study, plastic safety, study showing BPA harm