Study Links Common “Forever Chemical” to THIS Killer
By
Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Posted September 7, 2022
Dear Living Well Daily Reader,
Mad scientists have created some pretty crazy chemicals in the laboratory. And mad businesses have taken those toxic concoctions and unleashed them into our world.
You’ve probably seen a few headlines about “forever chemicals” lurking in our environment. In fact, I’ve shared warnings about them right here in Living Well Daily before.
Forever chemicals are compounds that, once released, stick around in our environment for a VERY LONG time.
Currently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has a list of over 160 chemicals that they consider to be forever chemicals. These toxins are categorized as perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS) for short.
PFAS are infamous for being found in jet fuel and firefighting foam. But the truth is they’re also in countless items, including food packaging, nonstick pans, carpets, furniture, outdoor clothing, umbrellas, toilet paper, medical masks, and other personal protective equipment.
And now, researchers are looking closely at one PFAS in particular. And they’re issuing a disturbing warning.
Researchers recently took a closer look at the effects of a particular PFAS called perfluorooctane sulfonic acid or PFOS. What they found is NOT good news, especially for your liver.
The study, published in the journal JHEP Reports, found that exposure to PFOS dramatically increases the risk of liver cancer in humans.
This isn’t the first time we’ve had evidence that “forever chemicals” threaten our health, of course. In fact, way back in 2012, researchers found a “probable link” between PFAS and six serious conditions: high cholesterol, ulcerative colitis, thyroid disease, testicular cancer, kidney cancer, and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Plus, animal research has exposed a potential link between PFAS and liver cancer.
Now the new study has helped researchers focus in on one troubling culprit in particular.
The team took a deep dive into the data, blood, and tissue samples gathered from more than 200,000 participants in the Multiethnic Cohort Study. The researchers narrowed their search to 50 people who eventually developed liver cancer.
They then compared their pre-diagnosis samples to 50 volunteers who didn’t develop cancer. And several different PFAS chemicals were uncovered in the blood samples.
But PFOS stood out like a sore thumb. After crunching the numbers, they found the people with the most PFOS in their blood (the top 10 percent) were 4.5 TIMES more likely to develop nonviral hepatocellular carcinoma, a common type of liver cancer.
When the team dug deeper to uncover why there was a link, they found evidence that PFOS affected sugar and bile-acid metabolism. Plus, the chemicals altered the shape of specific amino acids in the liver.
This caused more fat accumulation in the liver, leading to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD. And, of course, NAFLD is linked to liver cancer.
Your best bet for avoiding these chemicals is to…
- eat at home, making your own meals with fresh ingredients whenever possible
- wash new clothes and sheets before they come in contact with your skin
- avoid nonstick cookware
- store food in glass (not plastic) containers
- use a granular activated carbon (GAC) or reverse osmosis water filter
You can’t avoid PFAS entirely. But taking these steps can help you drastically cut down on your exposure.
P.S. PFAS aren’t the only creepy chemicals that could be hiding in your tap water. Click here to discover the ugly truth about our drinking water.
Source:
“Exposure to perfluoroalkyl substances and risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in a multiethnic cohort,” JHEP Reports – Innovation in Hepatology, Published: August 08, 2022, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhepr.2022.100550
Written By Dr. Scott Olson, ND
Nearly 25 years ago, failed mainstream medical treatments left Dr. Olson in constant pain – and his health in ruins. And that’s when he did something REVOLUTIONARY. He began his career in medicine – and dedicated his life to uncovering the true, underlying causes of disease.
Through his innovative medical practices in Tennessee and Colorado, Dr. Olson has helped cure countless seniors from across America of arthritis… heart disease… diabetes… and even cancer. All without risky prescription drugs or painful surgeries.
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