Want a Side of PBDE with Your Chicken Sandwich?

A study published in the latest Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) journal has come to a disturbing conclusion: Blood levels of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), a group of synthetic chemicals, are associated with eating fat from poultry and red meat. The more poultry and meat fat a person eats, the higher his or her blood levels of these chemicals. PBDE blood levels were not associated with eating fish or dairy products.

PBDEs are used as fire retardants in a wide range of consumer products, such as foam in furniture and mattresses, plastics in TV cabinets, electronics, wire insulation, draperies and upholstery, and plastics for personal computers and small appliances. Health experts have long-known that most people were exposed to PBDEs through house dust, indoor air, and direct contact with consumer products. PBDEs do not fully bind to the products they are used in so they escape into the air in our homes and at work and stick to dust particles and surfaces.

Until more recently, food was not considered among the most important ways in which people were exposed to PBDEs. This latest research is causing many to rethink the PBDE issue.

The connection between PBDEs and food is problematic for several reasons:

• PBDEs are known to bio-accumulate in the body. This means that the more PBDEs you are exposed to, through any route, the more these chemicals will build up and remain in your body over time. We don't excrete or "get rid of" this stuff very easily.
• Just as in the body, PBDEs also build up in the environment, including our homes, dust, soil, water, and other animals. They don't break down in these places either.
• Research show that at least 5% of American women have levels of PBDEs in their bodies that are greater than the levels found to cause reproductive problems in animals.
• Exposure to PBDEs may cause multiple health problems including learning, behavior, and memory problems; liver damage and cancer; thyroid and endocrine problems; and reproductive damage, including birth defects, poor weight gain during pregnancy, ovary (egg) cell damage, and reduced sperm counts.

In summary, PBDEs are nasty compounds and the less of them we breath, eat, and touch, the better.

What Can I Do?

It might seem like a hopeless situation, because after all, these chemicals are in a lot of products and I doubt many of us are ready to give up our furniture, computers, and TVs. However, there is some good news in this. We now know that certain foods are worse than others, which means we can take steps to avoid these foods and minimize our exposure.

Motivational Magic

If ever there were a strong motivation for healthy eating, this is it! The study suggests that fat from poultry (chicken) and red meat add a lot of PBDEs into the diet. Another interesting finding from this study, which did not make most news reports, is that vegetarians have significantly lower levels of PBDEs in their blood than people who regularly eat meat (omnivores).

Practical Steps

• For those who enjoy chicken, turkey, beef, and pork, the four most commonly eaten poultry meats and red meats, pick cuts of meat that have less fat.
• Remove the skin from poultry and don't eat this part.
• Keep your portion sizes of all meats to 3-4 ounces, about the size of a deck of cards, to avoid overloading on PBDEs.
• But do load up on non-animal foods, especially fruits, vegetables, legumes (beans and peas), whole grains, and nuts and seeds. These foods are less likely to contribute significant amounts of PBDEs to the diet, which explains why vegetarians have lower levels of these chemicals in their blood.

If I sound like the "food police", please know that the reason I share this information is because I care so much about helping people reduce their risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Healthy nutrition, a good diet, regular exercise... these are the things that I find exciting to discuss, because these are the things we actually can control!

Unlike genetics, family history of disease, age, gender, and other "fixed" factors which can't be changed, diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices are 100% in our control (okay, between jobs, kids, and daily life, maybe not 100%, but we all can do better, one step at a time). You can use your control to make a few healthier choices, beginning today.