Abstract

Nowadays, exposure to environmental factors is considered to be one of the possible causes of several lifestyle diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Particularly noteworthy are endocrine‑disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which affect the metabolism of hormones and interact with their receptors, thus exerting adverse health effects. One of the most ubiquitous EDC in daily life is bisphenol A (BPA), an organic compound that, due to its phenolic structure, has an ability to interact with estrogen receptors and is a weak environmental estrogen. BPA is a precursor of polycarbonates used in everyday objects, such as food packaging, plastic bottles, toys, dental sealants and composites, thermal paper, and electronic and medical devices. It is also a component of polyvinyl chloride and epoxy resins used as the inner layer of food cans, hence BPA is detected in a variety of canned products. Diet is the crucial source of human exposure to this EDC. Its concentrations in alimentary products correspond with the duration of storage as well as the temperatures used during sterilization, pasteurization, or heating directly before consumption. Moreover, BPA may migrate to the content of a can as a consequence of mechanical factors such as denting and reshaping of cans. The presence of BPA has been shown in various human tissues and fluids, such as the adipose tissue, placenta, breast milk, urine, serum, and saliva. A number of studies emphasized its potential role in the pathogenesis of several endocrinopathies and fertility problems. High serum BPA concentrations were also associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hormone‑dependent neoplasms (ie, breast or prostate cancer). According to the European Food Safety Authority, high BPA exposure in women is 1.063 µg/kg of body weight per day (bw/d) (0.388 µg from dietary and 0.675 µg from nondietary sources), whereas an average exposure is 0.216 µg/kg of bw/d (0.132 µg and 0.084 µg, respectively). Only recently, the European Food Safety Authority has reduced the toxicological reference values and established a temporary tolerable daily intake of 4 µg/kg of bw/d, which is far lower than the previous tolerable daily intake (50 µg/kg of bw/d). The aim of this study was to evaluate serum BPA concentrations in young women after 7 days of dietary exposure to canned products that are a source of this EDC in daily life.

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