Your Hormone Health and Hormone Disrupting Additives

Did you know that what our food comes packaged in can affect your hormones? Has the thought crossed your mind about what side-effects you may be experiencing from those additives in the packaged foods? Many of us don’t think about those issues and how it is impacting our overall health and hormones. This includes pre-packaged foods, sweets, and drinks. Did you know that more than 3000 preservatives and additives are being used in these types of foods? Everything from cakes, muffins, drinks, tortillas, bread, and so much more. The scariest part is many of these have not been tested yet! Those that have been tested though have been shown to be harmful to our hormones and especially our reproductive health.

Propyl Paraben

This nasty chemical is found is so many of our food products that come pre-packaged. These additives being used to prolong the shelf-life of foods are actually doing more harm than good for us in the long run. Issues such as lowered fertility in women, altered estrogen levels, and feeding breast cancer cells.

The European Union (EU) banned the use of prophyl paraben in food products in 2006. Unfortunately, that same ban has not been enforced in the United States and a staggering 91% of Americans tested had levels in their urine.

Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA)

BHA is identified as a carcinogen, meaning it plays an active role in the onset of cancer in the human body. The EU has tied it to also being an endocrine disruptor. In addition, there are a number of side effects we may feel from consuming too many additives. Examples of side effects we may see or struggle with include (but are not limited to):

• Lowered testosterone levels
• Lowered thyroid hormone, thyroxine
• Negative impacts to sperm quality

Phthalates

This is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) that is the largest class of chemicals. There are over 20 different compounds on the market and can be found in so many things. It can be used to increase the longevity and life of foods. The most commonly used phthalates are DEHP. It is added as a preservative in many foods. DEHP negatively impacts the male reproductive system and male sex hormones such as testosterone. It has also been reported that the presence of DEHP can lead to birth defects of the genitals in males while others may struggle with poor quality sperm later in life. In extreme cases, infertility struggles and related issues in the reproductive system has been reported. For females, ovarian function can occur, as well as inhibited growth of follicles.

Don’t let this information scare you about everything in your life. By cleaning up in areas that you can such as what foods you consume, what products you choose to store your foods in, you can make a big difference in your health.

Still confused on where to start? Check out this checklist on what to avoid to get started.

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