Could my plastic coffee maker contributed to IBD?

I know it increased my fasting blood sugar. My FBS was normal but began to slowly rise around 2006 about the same time I was beginning to experience UC symptoms. During my last flare it registered around 120, very close to what is considered diabetes. Since then it hovered around 100 which I consider an unacceptable level of pre-diabetes.

I mentioned this on our UC forum several times but apparently I am alone. Some have said their blood sugar was affected by meds such as prednisone but I wasn't taking any meds. Anyway I isolated the problem with my plastic drip coffee maker and now my fasting blood sugar level is consistently back into the 80's again.

If plastic can affect blood sugar is it possible that it also affects IBD? Here is my post in the diabetes forum:

IamCurious said...
To make a long story short, my fasting blood sugar has dropped considerably since I stopped drinking coffee from my plastic drip coffeemaker.

First a little explanation about coffee. When most Americans drank perked coffee in the 1950's coffee was associated with heart attacks. But nowadays drip coffee is protective of heart attacks and diabetes because the paper filters out the toxic oils in coffee that cause problems.

Some people get around this by covering the coffee in paper within a STAINLESS STEEL percolator, in effect drip coffee from a percolator. But drinking espresso or using the French press does not provide the protection of a paper filter.

A little word about Bisphenol A (BPA). Look it up, it is a chemical in plastics that is released in food especially when heated. Causes heart disease, diabetes, etc. It has taken years to finally get it out of baby bottles but it is still in most food containers. 

If you google “BPA free coffeemakers” you will see pages and pages. Apparently somebody is concerned about it. But more information will tell you that all plastics will release hormone disrupting chemicals when heated whether they have BPA or not.

I first noticed a drop in my blood sugar while traveling for extensive periods of time, getting my morning brew from McDonald's, etc. But my FBS would be higher when I returned home. As an experiment I quit drinking from my plastic coffeemaker and my blood sugar has remained low.

FYI. Other sources of BPA are in all canned foods except canned goods from Eden Foods. Canned tomatoes are the worst because the acid from the tomatoes leaches more chemicals into the food.

You can try this experiment yourself by avoiding coffee from all plastic coffeemakers for a couple of weeks.  It makes no difference whether the plastic claims to be BPA-free or not. Hopefully your blood sugar will come down.

For a while there I was racking my little brain trying to figure out a more obvious connection as to why we get IBD (what triggers it for us that have a genetic predisposition to getting it) and I started wondering if it was metals, cuz we ALL have used silverware since we were young and were introduced to foods and chances are we've ALL eaten off of metal utensils, so who knows, maybe plastics are the culprit or possibly connected somehow.

At this point, since no one really knows what causes IBD, it's safe to "say" anything can cause it. If I say it's caused by seeing a clown when you're five years old, no one can prove whether or not that's true. Right now everything is a theory.

There are many different synthetic chemicals we come into contact with on a daily basis, I would think that it would affect some people. I think most people generally fair okay, but I think it's safe to say those of us with UC aren't like most people. I guess I'm trying to say I wouldn't rule out synthetic chemical exposure for years to be a factor.

However, I think the important questions about UCs pathogenesis will reveal what's most important for UC to come about. Why does it always start distally? Why is there a period of peak incidence around 20-25 and 50? Why is there slightly higher incidence in northern regions of the world? Among so many other questions that have no answers yet.

Definitely agree with trying to find the root causes!

IMO Inflammatory Bowel Disease is really an umbrella term for the symptoms of gut inflammation, regardless of how that manifests itself in different people. The cause of mine could be pathogenic, the cause of yours could be allergy, adrenal fatigue due to previous stressors, sensitivity to gluten, stealth bacteria hiding in cells, etc. But I don't think it's a disease in itself - I think what we call UC is an expression of whatever's happening underneath the skin. I believe that's why some people respond so well to diet and others don't, some respond well to antibiotics and others don't and why some have found a cure in FMT while others might find it worsens their symptoms.

Tunnel - Do you take vitamins A + D in pill form or liquid vitamins? I currently take 1 Vitamin D3 pill every day. I read something about that combination having an effect I think in one of Old Mike's posts.

Thanks Tunnel, I'll try adding the A's.