Eating out at restaurants may increase the risk of exposure to phthalates, warns a new study. Phthalate is a salt or ester of phthalic acid. Phthalates are substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability, and longevity.
Phthalates have been linked to increasing the risk of asthma, breast cancer, type 2 diabetes and fertility issues in the past few years. Researchers found that there was a whopping 35 percent increase of phthalates in participants who had eaten out the previous day compared with those who stayed at home. Phthalates are binding agents frequently used in food packaging as well as products including flooring, adhesives soaps and shampoos. Some forms of the chemical is so dangerous, that is even banned from children's product in the U.S.
The researchers said that eating out and indulging in your favourite fast foods like burgers and sandwiches may up the risk.
The teenagers should be extra cautious as the instances of associations were found to be higher in this age range. Adolescents who frequently ate at fast-food outlets while out with their friends had 55% higher levels of the chemical than their peers eating at home.
The researchers pitched foods prepared at home a safer bet, than those prepared at restaurants or cafes. Ordering in may not be that safe too.
For the study published in journal Environment International, the scientists analysed data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2005 and 2014.
10,253 participants were asked to recall what they ate and from where, over the previous 24 hours. The researchers then measured the levels of phthalate biomarkers in each participant's urine.
About 61% reported dining out the previous day. The association between phthalate exposure and dining out was found to be especially strong for young people.