Euronews.green writes that over 700 people split into two groups were asked questions about their diet, such as how frequently they consume some types of foods and beverages. Dark green vegetables, bread and tea were some of the food and beverages researchers were focused on when analyzing PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) which can pose a great threat to our health in the long term.

Scientists also asked people how often they ate food at home, at fast food restaurants and at non-fast food locations and the information was useful when estimating how frequently these people ate foods or drank beverages that came into contact with packaging that is associated with PFAS.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, researchers determined that foods not prepared at home, processed meats and tea made from tea bags have been associated with an increase in the amount of PFAS found in our bodies.

To prove that the theory was correct, researchers further investigated consumers who ate foods like hot dogs and processed meats regularly and who also drank lots of tea, showing that indeed, PFAs levels were higher among these individuals.

However, they added that for some foods, such as french fries and pizza, the forever chemicals problem persisted if the foods were prepared outside the home, leading them to believe that packaging might be the broader issue here.

Hailey Hampson, a doctoral student at the Keck School of Medicine’s Division of Environmental Health and the lead author of the study, said that "we're starting to see that even foods that are metabolically quite healthy can be contaminated with PFAS. These findings highlight the need to look at what constitutes ‘healthy’ food in a different way."

Some of the risks of long-term exposure to PFAS are the weakening of bones, hormones disruptions and the increased risk of the development certain diseases.