A new study by Dr. Kharrazian shows a link between bisphenol-A (BPA) in plastics and autoimmunity to brain and nerve tissue. The paper was published with Aristo Vojdani, PhD.
BPA is a chemical found in plastic products such as water bottles, plastic utensils, and plastic bags.
The paper shows two important ways BPA impacts the brain:
- BPA can bind to human tissue.
- BPA can cause an immune response that triggers autoimmunity to myelin, the sheath that coats brain and nerve fibers.
The study suggests consuming products that contain BPA may be risky for those with brain inflammation or neurological autoimmune reactions such as multiple sclerosis or autism.
The paper was published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology and is titled, “Correlation between antibodies to bisphenol A, its target enzyme protein disulfide isomerase and antibodies to neuron-specific antigens.”
Previous studies on BPA and brain autoimmunity by Dr. Kharrazian
The study was an extension of two previous publications on BPA. In 2014, Dr. Kharrazian published a paper in the Journal Autoimmune Diseases titled “The Potential Roles of Bisphenol A (BPA) Pathogenesis in Autoimmunity.”
This paper reviewed and organized all of the potential immunological mechanisms of how BPA could cause autoimmune diseases.
A 2015 paper published with Dr. Vojdani showed that chemicals such as BPA can bind to human proteins (albumin) and potentially become new targets (epitopes) for an autoimmune response.
The study found that immunological reactivity to BPA was found in 13 percent of 400 healthy blood donors in the United States.
The paper is titled “Elevated Levels of Antibodies Against Xenobiotics in a Subgroup of Health Subjects” and published in the Journal of Applied Toxicology.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25042713
For more information on BPA and the role it plays with autoimmune disease, check out our previous newsletter at Dr. K. News.
Learn more about detoxifying your home at the Toxic Home Transformation summit from June 25-July 1.
Thanks you so much for your research and finally showing a clear correlation between BPA and autoimmunity. I am wondering if just touching plastics ie. kids toys, would be a concern? I have two children and am always battling to keep family and friends from giving them plastic toys, and wonder if there is anything I can point to to support my argument against any use of plastics, and not just the ones we drink water from? Thanks again!
Jonathan; I have heard the same concern (about touching toys) since children tend to put their hands in their mouths a lot (ie: BPA on the hands), and they also tend to put toys in their mouth. I don’t have any specific research articles to direct you to without doing a web search myself, but I’m fairly certain you could come up with some if you go on Google Scholar – they only list scientific articles: https://scholar.google.com/
Dr. K thank you for all that you do, I am so much healthier than I was three years ago. I have learned a lot and changed a lot because of your research and teaching. Your six week course was wonderful and worth my time and money.
So everyone is bragging about BPA free but it’s still plastic. What about the other chemicals in plastic, are they safe or just as harmful? Is it safe to put cold or hot food/drinks in plastic?
Thank you for all that you do and being such a champion of health!
Sonya; Thanks for checking in. We’re happy to hear you feel the course was worth it for you!
Dr. K’s recent research didn’t look into the other suspect factors in plastics. This article outlines some of the concerns with different varieties of plastic: (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/04/11/plastic-use.aspx).
I’ve heard that heating foods in plastic does make it more likely that toxic factors can leach into the food. Personally I try to use glass whenever possible. I don’t put hot foods in plastic – I always let them cool first.
Hi ,
Ive had Hashimotos for 30 years,am gluten free. As well as I stay away from foods that may cause Allergic reaction. I am Hypothyroid. But at times, I seem to be Hyperthyroid. I also have Afib, which the heart Doctor has requested to Lower my T3 meds because of my heart beating too fast. (long Family History) My question is, Is there another way to not go from Hypo to Hyper?
I was on the same dose for over 10 yrs and felt great! Now I feel like crap. And I am constantly sick.
Thank You!
Hi Carol;
Sorry to hear you are suffering so much. Some Hashi’s patients swing from hypo to hyper symptoms when meds are dosed too high and they drive the thyroid too hard. I can’t tell you what to do here though, because many factors may be at play and I’m not a practitioner. And it’s no surprise that after 10 years your situation is changing – as our bodies age, many things shift from our gut health to sugar metabolism to our endocrine system (and more), and this can require shifts in treatment.
Dr. Kharrazian can’t give medical advice via the blog. In your shoes I’d seek treatment from a functional medicine practitioner who has trained in Dr. Kharrazian’s thyroid programs at Apex Seminars. Here’s his practitioner finder – this group teaches his programs at Apex to other practitioners, so they are well-versed in thyroid. Some are willing to practice remotely (it’s noted on the page):
https://drknews.com/practitioner-locator/