Dr Rhonda Patrick, a biomedical scientist and owner of FoundMyFitness, warned of high levels of hormone-warping chemicals in canned soup
Eating just one can of soup a day could cause dangerous levels of hormone-warping chemicals to build up your body, experts warn.
Dr Rhonda Patrick, a biomedical scientist in California, pointed to a Harvard study showing that consuming a soup every day for less than a week led to a 10-fold surge of BPA, an industrial chemical in can lining linked to infertility, heavy periods, and early menopause.
Because it’s low calorie, soup is often recommended for weight loss. But BPA used in the lining of cans for durability seeps into the liquid, causing those eating the soup to ingest the chemicals.
And it’s not just cans. Plastic containers and bags, baby bottles, and even some store receipts are high in them.
Dr Patrick said on her podcast last month: ‘These chemicals don’t just pass through us. They are accumulating.
‘They’ve been detected in the lungs, liver, heart, brain, reproductive organs, and even in the placenta.
‘This widespread presence raises critical questions about what these microplastic particles might do to our health. Could they be disrupting our cells, altering our brain function, contributing to chronic disease?’
Soup cans my be lined with BPA, Dr Patrick said, an industrial chemical linked to infertility in both men and women (stock image)
BPA (Bisphenol A) is an industrial chemical used in hard plastics and resins to make them more durable.
Research suggests that BPA acts as an ‘endocrine disruptor,’ meaning it can imitate the body’s hormones and interfere with the production of and response to natural hormones like estrogen.
Dr Patrick said: ‘These compounds can mimic estrogen in the body, leading to hormonal imbalances that affect everything from reproductive health to brain function.’
In fact, some research suggests that exposure to BPA could lower a woman’s egg quality up to seven-fold.
Dr Patrick pointed to a small study published in JAMA, which recruited Harvard students and staff to either consume one 12-ounce can of Progresso soup or fresh soup per day for five days.
Two days later, all participants underwent urine testing, which found that those in the canned soup group had a 1,200 percent increase in BPA compared to those who consumed fresh soup.
Dr Patrick noted that these participants saw ‘measurable changes in their hormone levels, including decreased testosterone and altered thyroid function.’
Low testosterone could lead to erectile dysfunction, lower sperm quality, and genital shrinkage, all increasing the risk of infertility. And thyroid issues may impact vital functions like metabolism and heart rate.
Dr Karin Michels, senior study author and now chair of the Department of Epidemiology at UCLA, said at the time of publication: ‘The magnitude of the rise in urinary BPA we observed after just one serving of soup was unexpected.
She added that it ‘may be of concern among individuals who regularly consume foods from cans or drink several canned beverages daily.’
There is no level of safe exposure to forever chemicals and they have been linked to multiple cancers, asthma, fertility problems, obesity, birth defects, diabetes and autism
Additionally, a 2016 study in the Journal of Environmental Research found that people who consumed one canned food the past day had 24 percent higher levels of BPA in their urine compared to those who hadn’t eaten any canned food.
In one recent review, researchers found exposure to BPA in women can lead to a decline in the development and quality of eggs and an increased risk of implantation failure, when fertilized eggs do not implant in the uterine lining correctly, frequently resulting in pregnancy loss.
Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a leading contributor to infertility, and a risk factor for endometrial cancer and diabetes, has also been linked to BPA exposure.
These harmful substances can also result in longer menstrual cycles and early onset of puberty, which has been linked to depression, substance abuse, sexual assault and adult breast cancer.
The researchers also looked at the effect of endocrine disruptors on male sexual health. They found that these chemicals decreased semen quality and lead to the malformation of the male reproductive tract, lowering fertility.
The above graphic from Toxic Free Future shows how toxic PFAS chemicals get into food products
Dr Patrick also referred to a study in the journal Hypertension, which found that drinking from aluminum cans lined with resin containing BPA could increase blood pressure within just a few hours.
During three separate occasions, 60 participants were asked to drink the same beverage in two glass bottles, two cans, or one can and one glass bottle at the same time.
After drinking the canned beverages, BPA levels in the partipants’ urine had surged up to 16-fold.
Dr Patrick said: ‘This is really a clear indicator of immediate impacts on our cardiovascular system from these endocrine-disrupting chemicals like BPA.’
However, the study had a small sample size, and all participants were over 60, increasing their risk of high blood pressure.
To decrease exposure to BPA and similar chemicals, Dr Patrick recommended opting for fresh food over packaged and reducing consumption of canned foods like soup.
Instead, she suggests looking for soups sold in glass containers.
