Study evaluates interventions that lower endocrine disruptor levels

Researchers in a 2022 study performed a review of 16 studies that aimed to lower endocrine disruptor levels. The studies involved interventions that targeted plastic/canned container use, diet, personal care product use and dust removal.

For more background, check out my post Endocrine disruptors and their impact on fertility, and for more background on egg quality, check out my Complete guide to egg quality.

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Interventions involving container types and its impact on endocrine disruptors

Multiple studies addressed the impact of plastic containers for beverages or food on BPA levels:

• Carwile et al. (2009) found that drinking from a polycarbonate bottle resulted in a 69% increase in urinary BPA concentration.
• Sessa et al. (2021) found that children who had lunches with plastic-free bottles, plates, etc. had a reduced urinary BPA compared to those who used plastic (1.12 ng/ml vs 1.21 ng/ml).
• Rudel et al. (2011) found reduced urinary BPA and phthalate levels during a dietary intervention that focused on fresh foods that weren’t canned or packaged in plastic (BPA 1.12 ng/ml vs 1.21 ng/ml in the control).
• Hagobian et al. (2017) used a weekly intervention to reduce BPA exposure from food, cosmetics and other products, and found that it resulted in reduced BPA levels after 3 weeks (BPA 1.2 μg/L vs 2.0 μg/L in the control).
• Park et al. (2021) found a reduction in urine BPA levels when reducing consumption of fast/processed food and applying best practices for limiting endocrine disruptors in food and cooking (0.41 μg/gCr vs 0.99 in the control, gCr is the corrected value based on creatine levels in the urine). The BPA exposure was likely due to the packaging.

Two studies looked at how canned goods can impact BPA levels:

• Carwile et al. (2011) found an increase in BPA levels in people who consumed canned soup vs fresh soup (20.8 μg/L vs 1.1 μg/L).
• Bae et al. (2015) found that drinking canned beverages increased urinary BPA more than 1600% compared to drinking from glass beverages.

Interventions involving diet and its impact on endocrine disruptors

Many studies have found that consuming organic food can reduce endocrine disruptor levels:

• Curl et al. (2019) found a decrease in urine organophosphate pesticides in a 24 week diet consisting of organic vs conventional fruits and vegetables (0.27 μg/L vs 0.95ug/L in the control).
• Lu et al. (2006) found that substitution of a conventional diet with organic foods resulted in reduced urinary levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites, which increased after switching back to a conventional diet.
• Sathyanarayana et al. (2013) used a dietary intervention consisting of catered food that was delivered in plastic-free vessels a day before, which was fresh and organic where possible. They measured urine BPA and phthalate levels and, unexpectedly, found an increase in BPA levels and a massive increase in the phthalate DEHP in the intervention group. This was found to be due to high levels of DEHP in different food products, particularly in milk and ground coriander. The researchers conclude that “in the absence of regulation to reduce phthalate and BPA concentrations in food production, it may be difficult to develop effective interventions that are feasible in the general population.”

A few studies looked at specific types of food (vegetarian, processed foods, fish):

• Kahleova et al. (2016) found that a vegetarian diet vs a conventional diet had no impact on altering the levels of 24 persistent organic pollutants
• Park et al. (2021) found a reduction in urine BPA levels when reducing consumption of fast/processed food, which was likely due to the packaging.
• Dusanov et al. (2020) found that high consumption of fatty fish didn’t result in changes in the concentrations of 15 organic pollutants (5 organochlorinated compounds, 2 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls and 8 non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls).

One study examined the use of dietary supplements on endocrine disruptor levels:

• Guo et al. (2016) supplemented 1000 mg/day of vitamin C for 2 months which was found to reduce levels of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls, but not polybrominated diphenyl ethers.

Interventions involving personal care products and its impact on endocrine disruptors

Harley et al. (2016) found that using personal care products that didn’t contain phthalates, parabens and phenols (triclosan and BP-3/oxybenzone) for 3 days led to a reduction in these endocrine disruptors. The study provided products free of these 4 chemicals: shampoo, conditioner, body wash, moisturizer, hand soap, liquid soap, roll-on deodorant, liquid or powder foundation, mascara, eyeliner, lipstick, lip gloss, lip balm, sunscreen and toothpaste. Since phthalates aren’t listed as ingredients, they avoided any products that had perfume or fragrance, unless specifically labeled as phthalate free. This was assisted using the Environmental Working Group Skin Deep database.

The Hagobian et al. (2017) study discussed above used a weekly intervention to reduce BPA exposure from food, cosmetics and other products, which resulted in reduced BPA levels.

Interventions involving dust removal and its impact on endocrine disruptors

Sears et al. (2020) found that houses with less dust showed 12-17% reduced phthalate levels in children. Houses in the intervention group had window trough liners installed and floors that were made more cleanable through repairs or refinishing.

Conclusions

Here are the main findings of these studies in reducing endocrine disruptor levels:

• Choose organic foods.
• Avoid foods with plastic packaging.
• Limit canned food consumption.
• Avoid fast food and processed items.
• Adjust personal care products to avoid harmful chemicals and use Skin Deep database.
• Regular home cleaning can reduce dust-related phthalates.

As indicated by Sathyanarayana et al. (2013), endocrine disruptors are widespread and without proper regulation “it may be difficult to develop effective interventions that are feasible in the general population.” Additionally, it’s not clear whether lowering endocrine disruptor levels can improve fertility, and further research is needed that examines this.

Reference

Corbett GA, Lee S, Woodruff TJ, Hanson M, Hod M, Charlesworth AM, Giudice L, Conry J, McAuliffe FM; International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) Committee on Impact of Pregnancy on Long-term Health and the FIGO Committee on Climate Change and Toxic Environmental Exposures. Nutritional interventions to ameliorate the effect of endocrine disruptors on human reproductive health: A semi-structured review from FIGO. Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2022 Jun;157(3):489-501. doi: 10.1002/ijgo.14126. Epub 2022 Feb 23. PMID: 35122246; PMCID: PMC9305939.

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About Embryoman

Embryoman (Sean Lauber) is a former embryologist and the founder of Remembryo, an IVF research and fertility education website. After working in an IVF lab in the US, he returned to Canada and now focuses on making fertility research more accessible. He holds a Master’s in Immunology and launched Remembryo in 2018 to help patients and professionals make sense of IVF research. Sean shares weekly study updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit regularly. He also answers questions on Reddit or in his private Facebook group.

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