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Dining out may increase the levels of chemicals called phthalates in the body, phthalates are chemicals used in food packaging and processing materials, they disrupt hormones in humans and are linked to health problems. Eating regularly at restaurant, fast food and cafeteria can increase the levels of phthalate in the body, eating at home is better.
Food prepared at home is less likely to contain high levels of phthalates, chemicals linked to fertility problems, pregnancy complications and other health issues says senior author Ami Zota, ScD, MS, an assistant professor of environmental and occupational health at Milken Institute School of Public Health (Milken Institute SPH) at the George Washington University.
Researchers used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2005 and 2014. Participants in the study were asked to recall what they ate and where their food came from in the last 24 hours. The researchers then analyzed the links between what people ate and the levels of phthalate break-down products found in their urine sample.
They discovered that more than half of the participants reported dining out the previous day. The association between phthalate exposure and dining out was significant for all age groups but the magnitude of association was highest for teenagers; Adolescents who were high consumers of fast food and other food purchased outside the home had 55 percent higher levels of phthalates compared to those who only consumed food at home;
Foods like cheeseburgers and sandwiches were associated with increased levels of phthalates if they were purchased at a fast-food outlet, restaurant or cafeteria.
Sandwiches consumed at fast food outlets, restaurants or cafeterias were associated with 30 percent higher phthalate levels in all age groups. Pregnant women, children and teens are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals. Take-home food boxes, gloves used in handling food, food processing equipment and other items used in the production of restaurant, cafeteria and fast food meals have phthalates. Chemicals can leach from plastic containers into food.
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