Take your Omega 3 – EPA and DHA work together
January 25, 2012Support longer maternity leave allowances
February 5, 2012Take a moment to read this article on Rodale. It talks about new research from the journal PLoS ONE on Bisphenol-A (BPA), an endocrine hormone (estrogen) mimic found in plastics that disrupts the body’s normal estrogen. In this case, heart tissue exposed to BPA lost its ability to maintain normal rhythm (arrhythmia) by changing cellular conductivity. Here’s a quote from the article:
Vandenberg wasn’t involved with this particular study, but says that what’s most concerning about the results “is that the most effective doses—the ones that disrupted the heart the most—were overlapping the range of what humans are exposed to. The most dangerous concentrations are exactly the ones we’re finding in human bodies.”
What is additionally interesting about this research is that when exposed to natural estrogen at levels higher than normal, the heart tissue also had arrhythmias. Estrogen has been show to protect the heart, and explains why post-menopausal women are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The article continues on to say that this further explains why even the subtlest variance from the range in which the heart is happiest can cause problems. Perhaps those problems are subtle and not overt heart disease at first, but day after day small ills can still cause big problems.
Take whatever steps you can to avoid Bisphenol-A (BPA). Avoid canned goods (tomatoes, soups, etc.) unless they are marked BPA-Free. Use a BPA-free canteen for waiter instead of buying it bottled. Don’t use plastic storage containers.
The article also provides a great link to another article on research linking BPA to cardiovascular disease. Click here to view it.
