It turns out that consuming fast food may expose you to more harmful chemicals than previously believed. Scientists have found that those who consume more fast food were exposed to more phthalates than average.
Phthalates are part of a class of industrial chemicals used to make food packaging materials, tubing for dairy products, and other items that are used in the production of fast food. These chemicals can leach out of plastic food packaging and can actually contaminate highly processed food.
In this latest study, the researchers looked at data from 8,877 participants. These volunteers answered detailed questions about their diet in the past 24 hours, including consumption of fast food. They also gave the researchers a urinary sample to test.
So, what did the scientists find? It turns out that the more fast food someone ate, the higher their exposure to phthalates.
"People who at the most fast food had phthalate levels that were as much as 40 percent higher," said Ami Zota, lead author of the new study and assistance professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute SPH. "Our findings raise concerns because phthalates have been linked to a number of serious health problems in children and adults."
This isn't all that the researchers found. It turns out that grain and meat items were the most significant contributors to phthalate exposure. The grain category, in particular, contained a wide variety of items, including bread, cake, pizza, burritos, rice dishes and noodles.
The findings actually fit into a larger field of ongoing research showing that phthalates are in a wide variety of personal products, toys, perfume, and even food.
"People concerned about the issue can't go wrong by eating more fruits and vegetables and less fast food," Zota said. "A diet filled with whole foods offers a variety of health benefits that go far beyond the question of phthalates."
The findings reveal a bit more about the possibility of phthalates leaching into fast food. This is particularly important to note when monitoring diets. Too much fast food may not just cause health problems due to fat content, but also may cause issues with the fact that phthalates are present.
The findings were published in the April 2016 issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.
