It's become increasingly common to order ginger tea from a roadside stall or eat packaged street food while sitting in the office. According to experts, this habit carries a serious risk.

Effect of plastic on health

In today's busy life, we all prefer eating out and drinking tea. Ordering ginger tea from a roadside stall or eating packed street food while sitting in the office has become a common habit. But have you ever considered how harmful the plastic bags or cups in which you pack these hot foods can be to your health? According to experts, this habit carries a serious risk, which can gradually harm your health from within and even lead to cancer in the long run. So, let us tell you today how packing hot food in plastic is a silent killer for health and how it can increase the risk of cancer.

How packing hot food in plastic is a silent health killer

When food is exposed to temperatures above 60°C and placed in plastic wrap, polyethylene, or a plastic cup, several harmful chemicals leach from the plastic coating. These harmful chemicals include phthalates, bisphenol A, microplastics, and styrene monomers. These chemicals are microscopic, but their effects on the body can be devastating. Because these tiny chemicals enter your body daily, you may not initially experience any symptoms. However, over time, these chemicals negatively impact your hormonal systems, including estrogen, testosterone, thyroid hormones, and insulin. An imbalance in these hormones can disrupt your entire body's systems and can even lead to serious diseases, including cancer.

How can eating food in plastic increase the risk of cancer?

Packing food in plastic foil, polythene or plastic cups causes many harmful chemicals to leach into the food through the plastic layer. These harmful chemicals are responsible for hormonal imbalance, reduced fertility in men and women, rapid weight gain or loss, fatigue and sleep disturbances, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, and also increase the risk of breast, prostate, and thyroid cancer. Many studies have shown that chemicals like BP, phthalates, and microplastics found in plastic, when they enter the body, cause oxidative stress, DNA damage, and hormonal imbalance, which are considered to be the main factors for the onset of cancer.