It turns out that some BPA substitutes, in this case BPS, are similar in how they harm the body.
BPA (bisphenol A) is something we all know is bad for us as it can and does interfere with the endocrine system. But how many of us are buying the BPA free plastics, and then thinking that we are safe just because it says “BPA Free” on the label?
Well the problem is one of the chemicals being used by food manufacturers in place of BPA is often bisphenol S (BPS) which is slightly different than BPA. However, BPS seems to be doing the same things to the body that BPA was guilty of. Ella Atlas, PhD, of Health Canada, who has been studying these chemicals, states “our research indicates BPS and BPA have comparable effects on fat cells and their metabolism."
To test how BPS affects the system, they used preadipocytes (undifferentiated cells that can turn into fat cells) from female donors, harvested from their hip area. They then exposed them to different concentrations of BPS over a 14 day period. As a control other preadipocytes were exposed to dexamethasone as it has a known rate of fat cell formation. What was seen is that even the smallest amount of BPS increased the accumulation of lipids. The more BPS then the greater the effect, but even the small amount is affecting the hormones as well as how they are functioning in the body.
Knowing now that BPS is one of the chemicals that might be in that “BPA Free” product, I hope you think twice about getting the plastic bottle, or even cans, that are “BPA Free”. In our household, we have switched to either glass or stainless steel water bottles, no plastic cups, and we never microwave or warm food in plastics. Admittedly, however, it is near impossible these days to remove plastics from your food supply. Even all of our glass bottles have plastic in their top somewhere.
Source: Science Daily
Image Credit: Roland Mattern (Wikipedia) (Public Domain)