A world-leading fertility scientist has advised people ‘never’ to microwave food in plastic containers due to its potential impact on fertility.
Dr Shanna Swan is a respected expert on substances called endocrine disruptors, which are those that wreak havoc on the body’s hormones and, as a consequence, our reproductive health.
Speaking on a popular health podcast, the epidemiologist recently urged people against microwaving food in plastic containers due to the risk of these chemicals leaching into food.
‘Never put plastic in a microwave,’ she said.
‘The BPA, the phthalates, the plasticisers are added to the plastic but they’re not chemically bound to it.
‘So if you put anything in a container that has these chemicals in it and then put it in a hot environment they will come out of the plastic and go into the food.’
BPA, short for bisphenol A, and phthalates are sometimes adding to plastics as part of the manufacturing process to make them more durable.
Multiple studies link consumption of these chemicals to fertility issues, though regulators say current evidence suggests the level of exposure the average person faces in day-to-day life is safe.
A world-leading scientist studying the impact of environmental toxins on human reproduction has advised people to ‘never’ do a common kitchen habit
Dr Shanna Swan is a respected expert on substances called endocrine disruptors, which are those that wreak havoc on the body’s hormones which in turn is a crucial part of determining our fertility
However, experts like Dr Swan are increasingly concerned about the impact the chemicals could be having in reproductive health such as lowering sperm counts, as well as sperm quality, in men.
Speaking on the Huberman Lab podcast, she warned of the risks of combining heat sources and plastic.
Dr Swan, who is based at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, said this even includes leaving a bottle of water in a car on a sunny day.
‘You don’t want to mix these chemicals and your food, but, if you do, the worst thing is to do it in a heated environment.’
Asked by host neuroscientist Andrew Huberman how to cut exposure to harmful plastics, Dr Swan advised food intake was a major source.
‘If you can afford it buy organic,’ she recommended, in part to avoid pesticides, which can be another source of phthalates.
BPA, as well as similar materials like bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF), has not only been linked to fertility issues but also an increased risk of certain cancers.
BPA is said to be able to chemically ‘mimic’ the female sex hormone oestrogen which, in high doses, can potentially disrupt the normal hormone balance which is thought to fuel tumours.
Phthalates are also believed to harm fertility due to disrupting hormones, particularly the male sex hormone, testosterone. However, evidence suggests women’s ovaries are also adversely affected.
While concerns regarding exposure to these chemicals are growing, British food safety regulators say current evidence suggests the current level of exposure is ‘not currently considered to be harmful’.
However, the Food Standards Agency is currently conducting a review of data surrounding BPA in response to new studies.
Some restrictions regarding the use of BPA and phthalates in the UK have already been introduced due to health concerns.
Regulators have imposed a ban on BPA in items intended to be used by infants and young children such as feeding bottles.
And a number of specific phthalates have been banned from use in UK food packaging.
Exposure to endocrine disruptors has been suggested as one potential factor for a global decline in fertility rates.
Experts like Dr Swan are increasingly concerned about the impact the chemicals could be having in reproductive health such as lowering sperm counts, as well as sperm quality, in men
Dr Huberman, who is based at Stanford University, shares health advice with his 6million Instagram followers, and 5.2million subscribers to his YouTube channel, Huberman Lab.
He is well-known for his macho attitude and self-improvement videos tailored to men and is regarded by some as being one of the top ‘bro science’ influencers — a category of science-themed social media content aimed at men.
But this website discovered earlier this year that the health influencer was being paid by 15 wellness brands to promote products that make health-boosting promises that experts said were based on ‘a nugget of truth’.
These included the $124 sleep supplements that claim to help people fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer, and a $79 energy-boosting powder that contains excess vitamins, which experts said would end up in the toilet.
Experts also accused Dr Huberman of ‘exploitative’ marketing tactics, including convincing people to spend cash on pills that they say are ‘potentially dangerous’ due to risks of interactions with other, commonly taken medicines.
He has faced also accusations of ‘love rat’ behaviour — including that he’d dating five women at one time, and passed one a sexually transmitted infection.