Read the full article by Sarah Ladd (Kentucky Lantern)
“Over a lifetime, Kentuckians are repeatedly exposed to environmental pollutants known as ‘forever chemicals‘ — and a new study links such exposure to colorectal (colon) cancer.
Specifically, researchers at the University of Kentucky looked at long-term exposure to PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonic acid) in mice and confirmed their findings in human cells. Results showed that exposure — commonly in food and water — can chip away at an enzyme in the intestines (HMGCS2) that can help protect against cancer.
Research has established that PFOS can increase risk of other types of cancer, including breast and liver, but this is the first to study the effects of the chemicals on this enzyme.
One of the researchers, Yekaterina Zaytseva, said it’s ‘not so easy’ to mitigate these pollutants in the environment.
So, she turned her attention to its effects on the human body, and how to intercept them.”…