Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
Life

Beware! Frequent Dining Out Can Harm Your Health

IANS, 30 Mar, 2018 02:05 PM
  • Beware! Frequent Dining Out Can Harm Your Health
Next time you order a sandwich from your favourite fast food joint or plan a dinner with your friends at a nearby restaurant, you must give a try to home-cooked meal first.
 
According to researchers, dining out more at restaurants, cafeterias and fast-food outlets may boost total levels of potentially health-harming chemicals called "phthalates" in the body, especially among pregnant women, children and teenagers. 
 
"Phthalates", a group of chemicals used in food packaging and processing materials, are known to disrupt hormones in humans and are linked to a long list of health problems.
 
"This study suggests food prepared at home is less likely to contain high levels of 'phthalates', chemicals linked to fertility problems, pregnancy complications and other health issues," said senior author Ami Zota, Assistant Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University. 
 
For the study, published in the journal Environment International, researchers used data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2005 and 2014.
 
The 10,253 participants in the study were asked to recall what they ate and where their food came from in the previous 24 hours. 
 
The researchers then analysed the links between what people ate and the levels of phthalate break-down products found in each participant's urine sample. 
 
 
The team found that 61 per cent of the participants reported dining out the previous day.
 
The study found that sandwiches consumed at fast food outlets, restaurants or cafeterias were associated with 30 per cent higher phthalate levels in all age groups.
 
The researchers also found 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 per cent higher levels of phthalates compared to those who only consumed food at home.
 
"Pregnant women, children and teens are more vulnerable to the toxic effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals, so it's important to find ways to limit their exposures," said lead author Julia Varshavsky who did the work while she was at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health.
 
A previous study by Zota and colleagues suggested that fast food may expose consumers to higher levels of phthalates. 
 
The new study looked more broadly at dining out -- not just at fast-food outlets -- and found that it was significantly associated with increased exposure to phthalates. 
 
The findings are worrisome because two-thirds of the US population eats at least some food outside the home daily, the authors warned.

MORE Life ARTICLES

Indian Destinations That Can Give An International Vacation Experience

Indian Destinations That Can Give An International Vacation Experience
International tours make for great memories, but they also come with a heavy expense.

Indian Destinations That Can Give An International Vacation Experience

Make Space For Daughter-In-Law In Your Hearts Before She Comes To Your Home

Make Space For Daughter-In-Law In Your Hearts Before She Comes To Your Home
Weddings are a big event in the Indian society for which the planning begins really early and goes elaborate. We plan for the rituals, the events, the clothes, and honeymoons, but what we ignore is the marriage that follows the wedding.

Make Space For Daughter-In-Law In Your Hearts Before She Comes To Your Home

Face Cleaning Mistakes That 'Bride-To-Be' Must Not Make

Face Cleaning Mistakes That 'Bride-To-Be' Must Not Make
As the wedding season kicks in, healthy and glowing skin is quintessential to put the best look forward and have those flawless looking pictures in the photo album.

Face Cleaning Mistakes That 'Bride-To-Be' Must Not Make

7 Reason Why A Great Percentage Of People Are Switching To A Vegetarian Life

7 Reason Why A Great Percentage Of People Are Switching To A Vegetarian Life
You might be a meat-lover, but what we can see recently is that the world facing the wave of vegetarianism. But why is it so?

7 Reason Why A Great Percentage Of People Are Switching To A Vegetarian Life

Pedal Your Way To Well-Being

Pedal Your Way To Well-Being
World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends that adults aged 18-64 years should indulge in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity throughout the week to stay healthy.

Pedal Your Way To Well-Being

Here Are Four Good Reasons For Leaving Your Relationship

Here Are Four Good Reasons For Leaving Your Relationship
Breaking up with someone is really hard. Not just because it makes you really sad but it takes a lot of energy, mental and emotional both.

Here Are Four Good Reasons For Leaving Your Relationship