Food packaging-derived endocrine disruptors and breast cancer nutrition: dietary exposure, estrogen signaling, and survivorship implications.

Authors

Guang Yang, Xiang Meng

Published in

Frontiers in public health. Volume 14. Pages 1909278. Epub Aug 05, 2026.

Abstract

Food packaging and other food contact materials are increasingly recognized as sources of dietary chemical exposure. Among the compounds that may migrate from packaging into foods, several classes are relevant to breast cancer nutrition because they can act as endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenols, phthalates, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, and selected non-intentionally added substances generated during food-contact material manufacture or use. These exposures do not replace established nutritional determinants of breast cancer outcomes, such as dietary quality, body weight, physical activity, and metabolic health. Rather, they represent an overlooked dimension of the food environment that may intersect with estrogen signaling, adipose inflammation, oxidative stress, epigenetic regulation, and treatment-related survivorship needs. Evidence linking packaging-derived endocrine disruptors to breast cancer remains heterogeneous and is strongest for mechanistic plausibility and exposure biology, while epidemiologic associations vary across compounds, timing of exposure, biomarkers, and tumor subtypes. This Mini Review synthesizes current evidence on food packaging-derived endocrine disruptors in relation to breast cancer nutrition, with emphasis on dietary exposure pathways, estrogen-related mechanisms, and practical survivorship implications. We propose that nutrition guidance for breast cancer survivors should include low-burden strategies to reduce avoidable food-contact chemical exposure, without promoting restrictive or anxiety-inducing dietary behavior. Future research should integrate dietary assessment, packaging-use patterns, biomonitoring, endocrine-metabolic biomarkers, and breast cancer outcomes to clarify modifiable exposure windows and prevention opportunities.

PMID:
42621883
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Aug 2026.

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