Simple, Practical, Science-Based Tips for a Long Healthy Life from Experts in Nutrition and Exercise Science
You might remember the famous scene in the 1987 movie, The Graduate, when aimless college graduate (Dustin Hoffman) is given this advice, “I want to say one word to you, just one word. Plastics. There is a great future in plastics.”
Indeed, plastics are everywhere…in food containers, water bottles, baby bottles, and the lining in steel cans that hold everything from soup to nuts.
Recently health concerns have been raised about the compounds used to make plastics, specifically, bisphenol A (pronounced bis-feen-all-a) or BPA. The chemical has been around since the 1950s when it was used to make plastics and resins. BPA is used make polycarbonate, a clear hard plastic, such as the kind found in the flatware in your picnic basket or in a take-out food order. And it is not just found in food and beverage containers, it is widespread in the environment from water supply lines to dental sealants to clothing such as sportswear.
Food and beverages are in direct contact with packaging materials and small amounts of the material can migrate into the food and beverage. While the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) say BPA is safe in the amounts found in the food supply, they continue to monitor exposure, work with toxicology experts, and respond to consumer concerns. The use of BPA has been abandoned in baby bottles and sippy cups but there is a growing concern that exposure to BPA is contributing to some health issues. For example, an abstract presented at the recent American Diabetes Association annual meeting reported that BPA is linked to the progression of type 2 diabetes by decreasing insulin sensitivity. “Linked” does not mean it caused it but the observational research raises questions about BPA in our food supply.
One thing we can do is reduce our use of plastics but some websites, including the National Institue of Enviromental Health Sciences, suggest reducing canned foods as a strategy to reduce BPA exposure. I reached out to Dr. David S. Smith, a food scientist and food packaging expert with over 25 years of experience in the food industry to clarify concerns about BPA in canned food linings. “For the last decade or so, U.S. can manufacturers have spent time, money, and resources to eliminate BPA from mostly all steel cans.” So, we can feel safe using canned foods.
What Does It Mean For You?
- Reduce use of plastic food storage containers.
- Don’t heat plastic containers in the microwave as heat can transfer BPA into the food.
- Don’t wash plastic containers in the dishwasher. The high heat can breakdown the plastics.
- Use glass containers for microwave cooking or reheating foods.
- Switch to a stainless-steel water bottle instead of a plastic bottle.
- Look for products labelled BPA-free; however, we don’t know much about the alternatives used to replace BPA.
- Plastics with recycle codes 1, 2, and 5 are not make with BPA but those with 3 or 7 usually contain BPA.
Dr. Chris Rosenbloom and Dr. Bob Murray, co-authors of Food & Fitness After 50, use their expertise and education in nutrition and exercise science to translate science into easy-to-digest bites of information to inform and enlighten readers on all things healthy aging. Chris, a nutrition professor emerita, a registered dietitian, and gerontologist, and Bob, an exercise physiologist, researcher, and hydration expert, believe it is never too late to eat well, move well, and be well.
