Would you like phthalates with that burger?
In a study of more than
10,000 people in the U.S., researchers found that people who frequently eat out
at restaurants, cafeterias and fast food joints have phthalate levels about 35
percent higher than people who mostly eat food bought at a grocery store and
prepared at home.
"What you eat is
important, but this shows where it's purchased is also important," said
senior author Ami Zota, an assistant professor of environmental and
occupational health at Milken Institute School of Public Health at George
Washington University.
The study didn't
determine why there was increased chemical exposure for people who ate out,
however, the chemicals can leach from certain food packages, as well as
industrial food processing equipment and gloves used in preparing food, Zota
said.
Phthalates—used widely
in vinyl flooring, cosmetics, detergents, lubricants and food packages—are
endocrine disrupting chemicals, meaning they alter the proper functioning of
people's hormones. The chemicals have been linked to multiple health problems,
including birth and reproduction problems, diseases, impaired brain
development, diabetes and cancer.
Despite these health concerns, the chemicals are ubiquitous: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates more than 470 million pounds of phthalates are produced each year, and most people have some levels of the compounds in their bodies.
The study, published
today in the Environment International journal, suggests people can reduce that
load, however, by cooking more meals at home. An estimated two-thirds of people
in the U.S. eat some food outside their house every day.
In this study, 61 percent
of people reported eating out the day before.
"There's a win-win
message here," Zota said. Cooking meals at home can reduce sugar,
unhealthy fats and salt—and also harmful chemicals such as phthalates, she
said.
Zota and colleagues used
information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
from 2005 to 2014. They asked 10,253 people about what they ate in the previous
24 hours and checked their urine for signs of phthalates.
The chemicals halve in
the body every 12 to 24 hours, Zota said, so urine samples are a good snapshot
of short-term behavior and would reflect the past 24 hours of exposure.
The link between eating
out and phthalates was true for all age groups, but it was strongest among
adolescents (aged 12-19): teens who frequently ate out had 55 percent higher
phthalate levels than those who ate at home.
Teens—along with
pregnant women and children— are also more vulnerable to the toxic effects of
hormone-disrupting chemicals, so it's "important to find ways to limit their
exposures," said lead author Julia Varshavsky a postdoctoral researcher at
the University of California, San Francisco.
Varhavsky and Zota also
found certain foods—such as cheeseburgers and sandwiches bought at restaurants,
fast food joints or a cafeteria—seem to spur higher phthalate levels.
People who bought a
sandwich out had roughly 30 percent higher phthalate levels.
Previous studies have
linked fast food to higher phthalates exposure, but this is the first to take a
broad look at fast food as well as cafeteria, and restaurants.
The National Restaurant
Association would not comment on the study or the broader issue of phthalates