Researchers published a study yesterday online at the Oxford journal Human Reproduction (abstract is here). They studied the effects of high levels of exposure of the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) on male factory workers in China. They found that high incidence of male sexual dysfunction was strongly correlated with cumulative exposure to BPA. Reduced sexual desire, erectile difficulty, ejaculation difficulty, and reduced satisfaction with one’s sex life were all related to BPA exposure, and that it took less than a year of exposure for those effects to be measurable.
We’ve already written about the nasty things BPA can do to humans as a hormone disruptor. Add these things to the list. In the US we know that male sexual dysfunction is already a kajillion dollar industry. You only need to watch prime time TV for 15 minutes to catch some ad touting the effectiveness of some miracle erection pill. Heck, last Sunday one of the major network’s football halftime show was sponsored by Viagra! Sponsored! By Viagra! Are you kidding me? How ironic is that?!
Look, I’m not saying that as we guys get older, our bodies don’t start to slow down a bit in a lot of different ways. Of course they do. And on the other end of the spectrum, I’m not saying that BPA is the only toxic chemical in our food supply that might be negatively impacting whether you can…uh…”perform when the time is right”. Are we getting the same level of BPA exposure that the factory workers are getting in China? Heavens no. But we’re getting more than we probably realize. It’s enough to measure, and it’s enough to cause some impact (and not just to male sexual function).
So what can we do to limit our exposure to BPA? Stay away from canned foods. The insides of the cans are lined with a BPA-infused plastic coating. Try to limit your use of plastic bottles (water, sports drinks, etc.). And definitely do NOT microwave any food in the microwave in a plastic container. Extreme heat causes the plastic to develop weaknesses that accelerate the leeching of BPA into the food being contained. Stick with glass. Same thing with extreme cold, so try not to freeze anything in plastic containers either.