BPA Toxic Effects On Heart Health
BPA is a chemical used to make various plastics and has known toxic effects to our overall wellbeing. Despite this fact you will find BPA in a lot of plastic products you buy at shops. This includes consumer goods such as food and drinks products. BPA is also one of the most widely produced industrial chemicals across the globe.
While plastics have revolutionised our world and the way we live they have also brought on issues such as microplastic pollution. Some plastic chemicals such as BPA are also known endocrine disrupting chemicals. This means that they influence the interactions between our hormones within the body.
Disruptions to our hormones from endocrine disruptors could have very severe consequences in terms of our wellbeing. Some studies have suggested that BPA exposure could have detrimental effects on our reproductive health and may increase risks some of cancers too.
One very new study has outlined the possible toxic effects and dangers of BPA to the health of the heart. There is also evidence that BPA could possibly influence the development of the heart in an unborn child in the uterus.
The possible toxic effects of BPA on the health of our heart will be considered here to show why you may want to avoid this chemical.
BPA
BPA or bisphenol A is a chemical used to make industrial plastics. Bisphenol A is used to reinforce the resistance of the packaging of a product to temperature and improve packaging elasticity. BPA is a significant part of the plastic structure when used to make plastic packaging.
Globally nearly 10 million tonnes of BPA is used each year. BPA is in a very large number of consumer goods containers such as those used to store food products and drinks. Some examples of BPA use include coatings inside of food and drinks cans. BPA is also found in some modern water pipes as a coating.
Why Is BPA A Problem
Chemicals from plastic containers are known to leach out and into food and drinks within consumer products. This includes BPA which is known to leach out of products with very little influence.
Studies have detected BPA in the urine and blood samples of various individuals showing that this possible toxin readily enters our system. The is also evidence that BPA enters breast milk and the placenta.
BPA has been found by many studies to be an endocrine disrupting compound. This means that BPA has toxic effects on our bodies through interfering with the interactions between and levels of our hormones.
Studies have shown that BPA specifically disrupts estrogen hormone signalling within the body. This means that BPA targets our sex hormone system which effects many of our outward physical characteristics. Estrogen is the predominant hormone in females whereas testosterone is the predominant hormone in males. BPA is a xenoestrogen which targets and binds to our estrogen receptors.
Research indicates that BPA exposure may also cause significant inflammation and oxidative stress. Various studies have found that BPA may impair our antioxidant defence systems which is thought to be a cause of this. That includes an impaired activity of our superoxide dismutase antioxidant system which cleanses oxidative stress within the body.
The build up of toxins in the body is known to cause oxidative stress and they also require antioxidants such as glutathione to cleanse their presence in our bodies. This may drain us of crucial antioxidants and disrupt our natural antioxidant systems.
Studies have also shown that BPA could influence our reproductive health and BPA is also linked to an increased risk of developing cancer especially mammary cancer. These are the main reasons why BPA has now become a public health concern.
BPA May Have Toxic Effects To Our Heart
BPA could possibly have toxic effects on our heart health and circulatory system which has been shown through research. This is a huge concern in terms of our wellness because of how important our heart is in supporting our wellbeing.
Studies have found that increased markers of heart stress accompany BPA caused oxidative stress and antioxidant system disruptions. BPA may also increase risks of inflammatory responses in heart tissues. This could possibly influence risk of inflammatory heart diseases such as myocarditis too. These immediately suggest that BPA is a toxin to heart tissues.
BPA is thought to be able to interfere with heart calcium ion flow. Ion channel flow is important in regulating optimal heart muscle functioning and disruptions could cause heart issues. BPA influences on ion flow may reduce strength of heart muscle contractions and could be detrimental to heart health.
BPA exposure may also have toxic effects to our heart through causing mitochondrial dysfunction. This occurs mainly as a result of oxidative stress. Consistent energy production is very important in maintaining the health of our heart because we are constantly using our heart muscle. Changes to this or fluxes in energy production may cause serious heart issues.
Research has shown that levels of BPA circulating in the body are linked to cardiovascular and cardiometabolic diseases. This is thought to be as a result of endocrine disruptive signalling or oxidative stress within the body which would interfere with various cardiovascular related functions. Studies have found that BPA exposure is linked to an increased risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases.
BPA And Newborn Heart Health
BPA is also a concern in terms of infant health because BPA exposure could occur in the uterus or prebirth which may influence or have toxic effects on the heart of a newborn. Research has confirmed that BPA is able to cross the placenta and enter the circulation of an unborn child.
Our hormones play an important role in our early lives in directing our development. Estrogen and interactions with estrogen receptors are thought to be particularly important in the development of the heart. Endocrine disrupting chemicals such as BPA could influence the genetically coordinated development of the heart of an unborn child. Research has also confirmed this possibility showing that BPA may alter the genetic expression of genes linked to cardiovascular fitness in an unborn child in utero.
If a heart develops incorrectly there is a strong possibility that the heart will not function properly. This one big reason why BPA may have toxic effects to the health of our heart and could influence the entire lifespan of a child or susceptibility to heart disorders.
Overall the research shows that BPA is endocrine disruptive and that BPA exposure could cause heart issues due to influences on heart development or oxidative stress levels. BPA could also influence calcium flow and heart energy production which are essential to maintaining heart functioning.
Summary
BPA is used to make some plastic consumer goods and has known toxic effects to our wellbeing.
BPA is one of the most widely produced chemicals worldwide. This chemical is found in a large number of food and drinks packages. Chemicals such as BPA are known to leach out of packaging and into foods or drinks products. Detectable BPA has been found in the breast milk and urine of various individuals.
BPA is an endocrine disrupting chemical. This means that BPA is able to influence the interactions between our hormones within the body. Specifically BPA interacts with estrogen receptors. BPA is linked with changes to oxidative stress and inflammation levels in the body while causing disruptions to our antioxidant defence systems. BPA is a public health concern because of this and links with the development of cancer and toxic effects on our reproductive health.
The health of our heart is important in sustaining our overall wellbeing. BPA may have toxic effects on our heart tissues. This is evidence by the detection of inflammatory stresses in heart tissues as a result of BPA exposure. Amongst the range of possible effects of BPA are influences on calcium ion flow which effects heart contractions and also mitochondrial dysfunction which may cause heart issues.
There is now a growing concern about the toxic effects of BPA on newborn heart health. BPA exposure prebirth could influence early heart development. This may have consequences later in the life of a newborn in terms of risk of developing heart issues.
When all the available studies are considered BPA clearly could have a toxic influence on the health of our heart and on the heart of an unborn child at the right exposure levels.
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