BPA Reduces Chemotherapy’s Effectiveness

Bisphenol A (BPA), a man-made chemical found in many plastic products like drinking bottles and food can linings, has been linked to possible increased risks of heart disease, breast cancer and prostate cancer. In addition, research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) shows it may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments.

“Resistance to chemotherapy is a major problem for cancer patients, especially those with advanced or metastatic disease,” says Nira Ben-Jonathan, a professor of cancer and cell biology at UC who has studied BPA for more than 10 years. “Finding out what contributes to that resistance can give us an idea of what to target in order to make chemotherapy as effective as possible… It’s actually acting by protecting existing cancer cells from dying in response to anti-cancer drugs, making chemotherapy significantly less effective.”

In this study, researchers subjected human breast cancer cells to low levels of BPA consistent with levels found in the blood of human adults. The team found that BPA is acting in cancer cells similar to the way estrogen does — by inducing proteins that protect the cells from chemotherapy agents.

“These data,” study authors write, “provide considerable support to the accumulating evidence that BPA is hazardous to human health.”

 

Easy Health Options Staff

By Easy Health Options Staff

Submitted by the staff at Easy Health Options®.

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