In light of recent research that shows overweight women with PCOS have higher levels of BPA in their blood than overweight women without PCOS, I thought I should bring to fore one of the 'hidden' sources of BPA commonly found in our kitchens. I'm talking about electric plastic kettles. Could they be contributing to the BPA burden in women with PCOS?
It's common knowledge that some plastics leech into food particularly when heated or when they come in contact with acidic or oily foods. So, imagine drinking several cups of tea a day using water that's heated in a plastic kettle. Perhaps you've decided to up your green tea intake because you read it contains beneficial phenols, or even spearmint tea because it helps lowers testosterone levels. But then you stopped because it wasn't working or your symptoms actually worsened.
Sometimes when women with PCOS say a particular lifestyle change or dietary modification doesn't work, it's important to examine why and investigate possible saboteurs rather than throwing it away entirely. In this case the saboteur would be boiling the water used to drink said teas in plastic kettles that leach BPA.
Replace plastic kettles with stainless steel or use the good 'ol pot/pan to boil water.
Read more on the safety of different plastics here. Although, generally, you want to avoid plastics number 3, 6 and 7; especially 7!
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Inspired by Natural Health Solutions for PCOS
Oh wow! This is really interesting. As someone suffering from PCOS myself - this is something I should really look into. Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome Blythe. Glad you found my blog, :)
ReplyDeleteAuthor is ...... i know is late date but when someone wrote such "smart" i must answer ketles are made polypropylene BPA Free and some note of MD who research plsatic health effects. (polypropylene)- used in yogurt cups, some baby bottles, screw-on caps, toys, drinking straws. Resins made from ethylene and propylene resins and have flame retardants added they may leach chemicals but there are no studies to show that they leach chemicals known to cause hormone disruption in humans
ReplyDeleteHi Matuas, thanks for your comment. Upon further research, I have found not all flame retardants are safe for continuous usage as they bio-accumulate in the body and cause health problems over time. So while it may no be hormone disrupting, it doesn't mean its 100% safe either. I'd rather use a kettle that doesn't react with the water I'm boiling than one that hasn't been proven to be unsafe.
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