According to a new study, adults and children can reduce their exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol-A (BPA), by eating more fruits and vegetables and less food from plastic containers and metal cans, USA Today reported.

Twenty study participants showed a 66 percent reduction of BPA in their urine after three days on a diet of fresh, organic and unpackaged food, scientists said.

Levels of another chemical, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate or DEHP, fell 3 percent.

“This is the first study to provide clear evidence that food packaging is a major source of BPA and DEHP exposure in children and adults,” said study co-author Julia Brody,. executive director of the Silent Spring Institute, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit that studies environmental factors in women’s health.

Prior research has found that BPA is present in at least 90 percent of Americans due to how prevalent it is in food packaging and other consumer items.  BPA is used to harden plastics in bottles and cups and is also in the linings of metal cans and cash register receipts.  DEHP is used to soften PVC and other plastics.

Researchers remain uncertain as to what are safe levels of these chemicals, which have been linked to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, male infertility and other health problems.  The Food and Drug Administration has also expressed “some concerns” in the past about potential effects on the brain development of fetuses, infants and children.

Meanwhile, the American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic manufacturers, insisted that BPA levels remain safe.

Currently, the U.S. government is spending $30 million for the National Institutes of Health to research the safety of BPA, and the FDA is supporting the efforts of food packaging companies to find alternatives. Some states are banning BPA use in food and drink containers intended for children aged 3 and younger.

The study authors recommended these tips to help consumers reduce their BPA levels, as quoted from USA Today:

1. The Fresh is best. BPA and phthalates can migrate from the linings of cans and plastic packaging into food and drinks. While it’s not practical to avoid food packaging altogether, opt for fresh or frozen instead of canned food asmuch as possible.

2. Eat in. Studies have shown that people who eat more meals prepared outside the home have higher levels of BPA. To reduce your exposure, consider cooking more meals at home with fresh ingredients. When you do eat out, choose restaurants that use fresh ingredients.

3. Store it safe. Food and drinks stored in plastic can collect chemicals from the containers, especially if the foods are fatty or acidic. Next time, try storing your leftovers in glass or stainless steel instead of plastic.

4. Don’t microwave in plastic. Warmer temperatures increase the rate of chemicals leaching into food and drinks. So use heatresistant glass or ceramic containers when you microwave, or heat your food on the stove. The label “microwave safe” means safety for the container, not your health.

5. Brew the old-fashioned way. Automatic coffee makers may have BPA and phthalates in their plastic containers and tubing. When you brew your coffee, consider using a French press to get your buzz without the BPA.

The study was published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

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Researchers have discovered a way to turn stem cells into sperm, which they say could pave the way for new infertility treatments in the future.

Kyoto University researchers successfully converted mouse embryonic stem cells into primordial germ cells (PGCs), the precursors to sperm.

Afterward, the researchers transplanted the PGCs back into male mice that had previously been unable to make sperm. The PGCs grew into sperm, and the mice were then able to impregnate female mice.

Most importantly, the offspring produced following the procedure all appeared to be healthy and normal.

The research team hopes that this same procedure could work with human stem cells derived from adult skin cells in order to treat men who experience infertility issues.

The study was published in the journal Cell.

Growing evidence suggests that common antioxidants may help treat infertility issues in both men and women, according to researchers.

A new analysis concludes that antioxidants such as vitamins C and E, and in particular, lipoic acid, may prevent certain factors that can lead to infertility problems and erectile dysfunction.

According to researchers, a condition called “oxidative stress” may be an underlying factor that contributes to infertility.  Oxidative stress is brought on by free radicals that destroy nitric oxide and reduce its function.

Because antioxidants can help control free radicals, scientists believe that nutritional therapies that incorporate these compounds may have significant potential in treating reproductive issues. Some existing medical treatments for erectile dysfunction actually work by increasing production of nitric oxide.

So far, researchers say that laboratory and in-vitro studies have been very promising, especially with newer antioxidants such as lipoic acid.  Polyphenols, which are found in vegetables, chocolate and tea, are also being studied.

Nutrition therapies could someday address a number of infertility problems, ranging from erectile dysfunction in men to egg implantation and endometriosis in women, as well as reduce the serious, sometimes fatal condition of pre-eclampsia in pregnancy. In addition, antioxidants may also improve the quality and health of semen and eggs.

Current statistics indicate that as many as 50 percent of conceptions fail and 20 percent of clinical pregnancies end in miscarriage, making infertility a much more common and widespread problem than most hopeful parents-to-be would expect.

“Some people and physicians are already using antioxidants to help with fertility problems, but we don’t have the real scientific evidence yet to prove its efficacy,” said lead researcher Tony Hagen. “It’s time to change that.”

The study was published in the journal Pharmacological Research.

An international research team has discovered a strain of gonorrhea that is resistant to all currently available antibiotics.  Scientists worry the new strain may transform a common and easily treatable infection into a global threat to public health.

The discovery was made by Dr. Magnus Unemo, Dr. Makoto Ohnishi, and colleagues at the Swedish Reference Laboratory for Pathogenic Neisseria.

They identified a previously unknown variant of the bacterium that causes gohnorrhea, Neisseria gonorrhoeae.  In analyzing the new strain, dubbed H041, the researchers found that it was extremely resistant to all present antiobiotics used for treating gonorrhea.

“This is both an alarming and a predictable discovery,” said Dr. Unemo. “Since antibiotics became the standard treatment for gonorrhea in the 1940s, this bacterium has shown a remarkable capacity to develop resistance mechanisms to all drugs introduced to control it.”

“While it is still too early to assess if this new strain has become widespread, the history of newly emergent resistance in the bacterium suggests that it may spread rapidly unless new drugs and effective treatment programs are developed,” he added.

Gonorrhea is one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases worldwide.  In the United States alone, about 700,000 people are infected annually, according the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The STD is asymptomatic in 50 percent of infected women and five percent of infected men, but when symptoms do express themselves, they typically include a burning sensation during urination and genital discharge.  If left untreated, gonorrhea can lead to serious and irreversible damage in both men and women, including chronic pelvic pain, ectopic pregnancy, infertility and mortal lesions.

Babies born to infected mothers are also at risk of serious blood and joint infections, as well as blindness.

The research was presented at the 19th conference of the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Disease Research (ISSTDR) in Canada.

Columbia University researchers say they are honing in on the development of what may be the first non-steroidal oral contraceptive for men.

The researchers found that low doses of a drug compound stopped sperm production in male mice with no adverse side effects.  Furthermore, normal fertility was restored soon after the researchers stopped administering the drug.

The drug works by interfering with retinoic acid receptors (RARs), which deprives the body of vitamin A.  Scientists have long known that depriving an animal of vitamin A causes male sterility.

Earlier research had found that manipulating the retinoid receptor pathway could interfere with spermatogenesis, a process necessary for sperm production.

Previously, a company called Bristol Myers had been experimenting with the compound for the treatment of skin and inflammatory diseases.  They discontinued the project after finding that the drug was a “testicular toxin.”

“We were intrigued,” said Dr. Debra Wolgemuth, professor of genetics and development and of obstetrics and gynecology at Columbia University Medical Center, in a press release. “One company’s toxin may be another person’s contraceptive.”

Wolgemoth and her team found that a dose as little as 1.0mg/kg of body weight over a 4-week period was enough to induce reversible male sterility.

The drug has an advantage over steroidal hormone-based methods, the researchers say, because steroidal methods are often plagued with side-effects, including variability in efficacy, increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diminished libido.

“We have seen no side effects, so far, and our mice have been mating quite happily,” said Dr. Wolgemuth.

An additional benefit of the compound is that it can be taken orally as a pill, according to researchers, which avoids the the injection process.

Further testing is needed to prove the compound is safe, effective and reversible even after years of use.

The research was published in the journal Endocrinology with funding from the National Institutes of Health.

A new study may explain why caffeine consumption can hurt a woman’s chances of getting pregnant.

The results of a study conducted in mice show that caffeine can reduce muscle activity in the fallopian tubes, which are responsible for carrying eggs from the ovaries to the womb.

It is generally assumed that tiny hair-like structures, called cilia, line the tubes.  Muscle contractions in the tubes move the cilia which assists them in pushing the eggs forward.

However, it appears that caffeine impedes the muscle contractions so that eggs can’t move down the tubes.

Researchers hope this finding may assist with both fertility treatments and other issues that may arise in a women’s sexual health.

“As well as potentially helping women who are finding it difficult to get pregnant, a better understanding of the way Fallopian tubes work will help doctors treat pelvic inflammation and sexually-transmitted disease more successfully,” said Professor Ward.

“It could also increase our understanding of what causes ectopic pregnancy,” he added.

An ectopic pregnancy is an painful and potentially life-threatening situation in which embryos get stuck and start developing inside a woman’s Fallopian tube.  It can result in infertility.

The study was published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.