It’s just another example of why doing things as natural as possible is better. Researchers at the West Virginia University School of Medicine have found that chemicals used to make non-stick cookware may raise blood cholesterol levels in children.

The children who took part in the study had been exposed to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in their water supply for at least a year. PFOA concentrations were found to be substantially higher in these kids than those found nationally in kids — 29.3 ng/mL for the study group and 3.9 ng/mL for the others. Kids with higher PFOA levels had higher total cholesterol.

Surprisingly, few studies have been conducted regarding long-term exposure to perfluoroalkyl acids and how they might affect human health and development.

The findings are somewhat inconclusive, however, since the amount of chemical used to make non-stick cookware is much less than what these children were exposed to in their water supply.

In reaction to the study, Cathy Ross of the British Heart Foundation made a good point, noting that children’s heart health was at greater risk from what goes into the frying pan and from an increasingly inactive lifestyle than from what the lining of the frying pan is made of.

Amen, Cathy!

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Read the study.