Forever Chemicals: High Exposure Increases Risk Of Prostate Cancer

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by Naba Batool

22-11-2021
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and are present in food wrappers, nonstick kitchenware as well as several other products can reshape the benign and malignant prostate cells to a state where they are more charged and thus have the potential to divide at a faster pace.

 

Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl substances are universally abbreviated as PFAS. Scientist often regards them as forever chemicals because nature is unable to digest them and thus they tend to persist in the ecosystem for longer periods of time. In recent years because of their toxic nature, they are deemed as environmental pollutants.

Professor Zeynep Madak-Erdogan who is the principal investigator of this project said that :

“Our data suggest that exposure to PFAS synergizes with dietary fat to activate the protein-coding gene PPARa, altering cells’ metabolism in ways that escalate the carcinogenic risk in normal prostate cells while driving tumor progression in malignant cells.”

She went on to say that:

“These alterations in cell metabolism that occur downstream of PPARa activation may underpin the increased prostate cancer risk observed in men who are exposed to PFAS.”

Several other studies in the past have also successfully linked prostate cancer with these chemicals. But this study is the first of its kind to find the underlying positive correlative that exists between PFAS and the progression of benign prostate cells to malignant.