Fast Food Eaters Are Consuming Industrial Chemicals
Do you like eating fast food? If yes, then you might reconsider your habit after reading this article. Several research studies have found out that people who consume fast food all the time have high levels of industrial chemicals in their bodies.
What’s Inside Your Favorite Fast Food?
Research indicates that most fast food items contain the chemical substance called phthalates which are used to make plastic materials durable and flexible. This type of molecule is also found in soap, food packaging, cosmetics, and other consumer items. The Center for Disease Control noted that exposure to this kind of compound is highly rampant in the United States.
While the effects of the exposure to these industrial chemicals are not yet fully known, scientists suspect that it might have effects on cell development, especially among pregnant women and children. In fact, laboratory research conducted on laboratory rats noted that exposure to such industrial chemicals can disrupt the male reproductive system. To date, the regulation of phthalates and other industrial chemicals is not very strong.
In a study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, a team of researchers studied 9,000 people between 2003 and 2010. The urine samples of the participants were tested for the presence of industrial chemicals. The study indicated that phthalate and another chemical compound called DiNP showed a positive relationship between high fast-food intake as well as exposure. This means that people who tend to eat more fast-food have more phthalates in their urine.
What’s the Solution to our Fast Food Problem?
Although it is still difficult to determine the exact health risk that phthalate exposure provides, it is still important to take extra precautionary measures. For instance, in Japan food handlers are no longer allowed to wear any vinyl gloves during food preparation over concerns of the phthalate exposure. On the other hand, the United States government has also decided to restrict the sale of toys made with industrial chemicals.
Aside from being found in fast food items, they are also found in fruits and vegetables via the plastic wraps that they are sold in. That’s one of the reasons it is always important to wash your fruits and vegetables before you eat them. Industrial chemicals have deleterious effects on the body. Since it is suspected to have adverse effects on the body, some concerned groups are lobbying for the ban of industrial chemicals used on food—particularly fast food.
Moreover, they also encourage people to eat more healthy whole foods like organic fruits and vegetables to avoid exposure to these industrial chemicals. While we don’t have any laws to ban chemicals in our food, we can avoid these chemicals by avoiding fast food altogether. So instead of eating fast foods that are laden with industrial chemicals, eat clean, and enjoy whole foods like fruits and vegetables.
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