Prostate cancer is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, according to research. Data analyzed by the charity Prostate Cancer UK shows that breast cancer has overtaken breast cancer as the most commonly diagnosed form of the disease, with 57,192 new cases in 2018 – the most recent figures available. It is worrying that many attribute a type of plastic that can increase a person’s risk of developing the deadly disease. Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a common building block in resins and some types of plastic and increases the risk of prostate cancer.
In 2006, Dr. Gail Prins, professor of urology and physiology at the University of Illinois School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues provided evidence for one of the first direct links between exposure to low doses of BPA during the development of mice and the further development of prostate cancer.
“The most important findings are that the human prostate epithelium responds in a similar way to previous studies found in rodents,” Prins told the Cancer Network. The results show that even low doses of BPA can cause early and subtle changes that can have latent consequences.
“Our findings indicate that these [stem] cells are reorganized epigenetically [upon exposure to BPA] such that when they ‘see’ estrogens later in life, the response is more robust, ”said Prins.
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Many studies have shown that BPA can interact with estrogen receptors and therefore can positively or negatively regulate signaling pathways, said Olivier Sanchez, founder of Nutrunity UK and Head of Nutrition at The Really Healthy Company
He continued: “In fact, BPA is a weak estrogen, which makes it a hormonal disruptor, like the many thousands of chemicals widely used in plastic.
“Hormonal disrupters can affect the way hormones act in the body, blocking their actions or imitating them, which often impairs the fragile body’s hormonal balance.
“Therefore, BPA can play a role in the pathogenesis of several endocrine disorders, including male and female infertility, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and hormone-dependent tumors such as breast and prostate cancer and several metabolic disorders, including.”
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In a study published in the National Library of Medicine of the United States, National Institutes of Health, bisphenol A as a risk factor for prostate cancer was investigated.
The study noted: “Environmental exposures are factors that contribute to the etiology of prostate cancer, but they remain unclear.
“We recruited 431 newly diagnosed prostate cancer cases and 402 same-age controls from Prince of Wales Hospital in Hong Kong.
“We obtained clinical data and epidemiological information from each participant about chronic exposure to BPA and other environmental risk factors (for example, eating habits, occupation and shift work) using a standard questionnaire.”
The study concluded that frequent consumption of canned fried foods and vegetables, unusual consumption of green tea and night work are the risk factors that contribute to prostate cancer in Hong Kong China.
Most importantly, this study provides the first epidemiological evidence on the carcinogenicity of BPA in the human prostate.
Mr. Sanchez added: “The issue here is not that BPA alone is capable of causing health problems or even prostate cancer, it is the constant daily exposure and its tendency to bioaccumulate in our bodies, as well as the synergistic effect with soup of highly toxic chemicals to which we are exposed daily, which is of great concern for human health, especially since BPA can be considered cytotoxic (toxic to human cells, especially liver cells) and cause DNA damage.
“The global volume of consumption of BPA (in metric tons and USD) for different application areas is expected to reach 10.6 million metric tons in 2022.
“And so, our exposure to BPA continues to grow daily.
“This constant level of exposure cannot be innocent.”
BPA is being banned in the UK and the EU from January 2020.
In a study conducted in 2013 by Professor Watson, there was evidence that exposure to BPA or BPS appeared to affect neuronal development time.
The experts behind the findings have warned to handle receipts as little as possible and that BPA chemicals, found in almost all receipts, can be harmful.
BPS is not currently banned in the United Kingdom, although Switzerland is the first country to ban both BPS and BPA.
BPS is still available in the UK.