I know what you must be thinking – at first I didn’t believe it myself also. What is Bisphenol-A (BPA) in the first place? Well to start with a simple explanation to this it is a chemical compound that is found in polycarbonates that are used in the manufacturing of many household items that are used to store and cook food in them. The traditionally known plastic food storing units are usually loaded with BPA and when you use them to heat something in the microwave, the potential hazards are multiplied.

BPA is an organic compound that contains two phenols as functional groups. I will not go further in the chemistry here, but I will tell you that phenols are usually found in other compounds such as Estradiol – which is a female sex hormone, BTH – butylated hydroxytoluene, which is used as a preservative in many foods, but also in different types of compounds, as it mainly consists of an aromatic ring where a hydroxide group is attached. This makes it highly acidic and quite readily reactible.

It has been used in all of the plastic cookware and food storage units for ages and not until recently it has  been thought to be unhealthy to us, which has lead many people to look for non BPA products that could get them free from this potentially harmful chemical. The risks aren’t to be neglected even though the food industry is still claiming that it is a safe material to be used – personally I think that this is because of the fact that it would cost quite a lot to completely change their production lines in to producing items that are free from it.

What are the potential harms of bisphenol-A?

Ever since 2008 there has been studies that show us how dangerous this can be and here are a few conditions that could occur because there has been BPA exposure through different household items.

1. Obesity
2. Neurological issues
3. Disruption of the dopaminergic system
4. Thyroid problems
5. Breast Cancer
6. Prostate Cancer
7. Neuroblastoma
8. DNA methylation – that can lead to many different problems, such as various forms of cancer
9. Problems with the reproductive functions – infertility

This is not a compound that should be taken lightly, and even if the big companies are telling that their products do no release this compound in “harmful doses”, what is a harmful dose anyways? Well here is some stats from Wikipedia – I will put the daily dose (mcg/kg/day) there first and then put the condition that has been reported. Remember that mcg is microgram which is one thousandth of a milligram:

1. 0.025 – Irreversible changes to the genital tract and changes in the breast tissue – this could actually be a really big reason for the increase in breast cancer numbers.
2. 1 – long term problems with the reproductive system – meaning that if you are constantly heating stuff in a plastic container, you could actually experience infertility.
3. 2 – Increased prostate weight over 30% – do I see prostate cancer?
4. 2.4 – Decline in testicular testosterone
5. 2.5 – Breast cells more prone to cancer
6. 30 – Reversed normal differences in brain structure and behaviour.

Remember that thes are facts and the come from a series of studies that have been conducted in the early 21st century – these aren’t some old phishy studies but real hardcore scientist have taken this problem seriously and so should you.

The best thing that I can say here is that you should try to get rid of all the plastic that is in contact with your foods in your house. So if you are making ice cubes in a plastic ice cube tray – change it to a stainless steel model. If you are storing food in Tupperware(R), I suggest that you look for alternatives that don’t contain these harmful chemicals. If you are drinking water out from a bottle that is made of plastic, it is really the time to change to a stainless steel drinking bottle. I am not taking this information lightly, and I suggest that you don’t either!

Almost everyone has heard that smoking is not good for you, and in fact it is bad for you. We all know that it is linked to cancer and lung problems but even so this is not quite powerful to keep people from smoking. Smoking health risks are though a lot more difficult and probable than cancer – also they can be had with just minor smoking.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Lung problems are really commom with smokers and it has been shown that 95% of people who have COPD are smokers – this is a clear proof that you are very unlikely to get that disease if you aren’t a smoker. This is one of the toughest smoking health risks and it can actually caught with just a little smoking. What causes this is that all the toxins that are in cigarettes, cause the tissue in your lungs to get inflamed. Once a tissue is constantly inflamed it will start to create cancer cells, and also the cells will break and the healthy cells will find another healthy cell and combine with it. Since lungs are a sponge-like tissue, they have a lot of area for the gases to be exchanged between the air in your lungs and your blood. This inflamation causes the area that is reserved for gas exchange diminishes and makes it impossible for gases to go from your lungs to your blood. Once there isn’t enough oxygen going to your blood, you will get exhausted with the slightest physical activity. In worst case scenario, you will have to be attached to an oxygen bottle all the time.

Skin Problems

A common health risk that is linked to smoking is skin problems – these start to appear almost immediately as you start smoking. Your skin will start to dry up and no matter how much you use lotions your skin will get aged and look dry and wrinkly. Also since the circulation in your skin will get worse the color of your skin will get pale and gray – no longer those nice reddish skin but instead you will start to turn colorless and sick.

Constant Lung Problems

Smoking gives you respiratory problems and that is well understood. As you are inhaling the smoke you will almost immediately notice that you will start coughing in the morning, and you will also have the flu a little more often. The inflammation that is caused by the toxins is taxing your immune system and not only will you have more inflammations in the respiratory track and also all over your body. Your joints might ache and your muscles might be sore for a long time after workout. This is both because of increased CRP but also because of the decrease in oxygen in your blood. Since the carbon monoxide in the smoke is attached to your hemoglobin strongly, it will decrease the amount of oxygen transferred in your blood and decrease your recovery rate. Not only because of smoking health risks, but also for this reason, no athlete should smoke – if you are addicted to nicotine, you should try to stop smoking,  or use electronic cigarettes which don’t include most of these health risks.

Many of us don’t really want to think too much about the way we live our lifes when it comes to eyesight. We just think that it is something that our parents gave us and some of us have poor eyes and some have great eyesight, well that is not entirely true. The fact is that if you are born with poor eyesight you can make it better, depending on the type of problem that you have. And if you are born with good eyes you can impair your eye health by doing the wrong things. Here is something that you should take in to notice.

First of all the main thing to think about is nutrition. Many don’t think that your eating habits have anything to do with your sight but the scientific crowd has proven these people wrong many times. What you need to consume are specific types of anti-oxidants that decrease the possible degeneration of your eyes. Eyes do wear out with old age and if you spend your life trying to prevent it you are going to have good sight for years longer than people who don’t. So what you want to do is consume blueberries on a regular basis – they have been shown to do miracles to eye health, and prevent problems with your vision.

Another thing that you have to think about are fatty acuds in your food. It is a bit lame to bring up fish oil to every possible conversation that there is about health, but you will have to do it as long as it is showing so good results. The fact is that your eyes are mosly made up of nervous tissue. Of course discounting the optics in your eyes. The parts that receive the eye and alter the signal and send it to your brain are made out of nerves. Nerves are almost completley fatty acirds, and especially they are made out of those necessary fatty acids that your body doesn’t know how to manufacture – you will have to get it from the food you are eating. The same goes for your brain cells, and if you want to keep those cells that are receiving the signals from your eyes, in top shape, you will need to start use a fish oil supplement. Keeping your eye health good isn’t though just about eating well, but if you want to avoid wearing contact lenses for the rest of your life, then you have to learn how to use your vision.

Many people read by holding the book two inches from their face because it  is just easier to read that way – you won’t have to struggle to see the leters at all. Well if you do this, your brain and eyes are going to get used to this and your vision will degenerate. To maintain good eye health you will have to do exercise, just like with maintaining good overall health. So if you want to see well in the future, you had better start reading those hard to read texts wherever you find them!