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Today's newsletter is for health-conscious people. We'll share

• different sources from where BPA (Bisphenol A) can enter your body.
• importance of maintaining dental hygiene and how to reduce your dental costs.

BPA

Bisphenol A (BPA) found in food cans

You might have heard the term "BPA-free" when buying a plastic bottle. Health experts recommend buying BPA-free products to avoid any long-term health risks.

A recent study by Stifftungs Warentest found BPA in canned food sold in German grocery stores. These foods include tomatoes, fish, coconut, milk, vegetables, and meat. [1]

According to experts, BPA can impair fertility and cause health-endangering effects in the long term. So, if you use canned food regularly, you should reconsider buying them.

Test.de even found BPA in popular brands like Mutti, Rewe Bio Tomaten, Exotic Food coconut milk, etc. The BPA is transferred from the can coating into the food. Thus, even if the food is high quality, the container it's stored in contains BPA.

Consuming BPA once in a while doesn't affect your health. However, consuming it regularly can have adverse long-term effects.

Don't drink or use hot water for cooking from tap

Your hot water may contain high levels of BPA. This is because water pipes were repaired using epoxy between 2000 and 2015.

The problem is that epoxy releases BPA at temperatures above 65 degrees Celsius. So, hot water from old pipes repaired using epoxy contains high levels of BPA.

The German government-approved labs can test your hot and cold water for BPA and lead. The list of the labs is here.

Oral Hygiene

Importance of maintaining dental hygiene

Besides dental diseases like toothache, cavities, gum diseases, etc., you can also develop other health issues with poor dental hygiene. Here are the top health problems caused by poor dental hygiene.

• Cardiovascular disease: Maintaining good oral hygiene can prevent 80 to 90% of heart problems. Periodontal disease is one of the common reasons for heart attacks. Bacteria enter the bloodstream from the mouth, hardening the arteries and increasing the risk of heart attack.
• Alzheimer: Scientists have found that bacteria in the mouth due to poor dental hygiene have caused the development of Alzheimer's disease and dementia.
• Diabetes: Periodontal disease makes it difficult for the body to control blood sugar levels and increases the risk of developing Diabetes.
• Premature childbirth: According to a study done by BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, women with periodontal disease were more likely to give birth prematurely than women with no periodontal disease.
• Cancer: The risk of having cancer ( Pancreatic, lung, and blood) increases significantly for people with poor oral health.

What should you do to maintain oral health?

• You should get a checkup once a year from a dentist. Your health insurance covers dental checkup costs. So, you don't pay anything for the checkup.
• Get professional cleaning once every six months. Public health insurance covers part of the costs. Depending on your private health insurance policy, it may cover professional cleaning costs.
• Brush twice a day and floss your teeth daily.
• If you have dental problems that may develop more in the future, you should get supplementary dental insurance. Based on the probability of dental diseases, everyone who is 35 years or older should have dental insurance.
• We recommend Deutsche Familienversicherung AG*, Feather*, and Getsafe*. Other dental insurers worth mentioning are Allianz, Württembergische, and Barmenia.

How can you save on dental costs?

• Ask your dentist for the "Bonus Booklet (Bonusheft)." The book contains your past dental checkups. Public health insurance companies increase the coverage from 60% to 75% if you have had regular dental checkups for 5 to 10 years.
• Before getting an expensive dental treatment, get a second opinion free of charge.
• Ask your health insurance provider about affordable dental labs. Material and lab costs comprise more than half of dental costs.
• Get dental treatment from abroad. Eastern European countries have cheaper dental treatment than Germany. You can even consider getting treatment in your home country if it's cheaper. Many dental clinics in Europe offer packages to patients from abroad. The package covers the stay, treatment, and after-services. Learn more about it here.
• Get supplementary dental insurance to cover the costs.

Concerts in Germany

Taylor Swift Taylor Swift - Hamburg, Munich -July Buy Tickets*

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa - Berlin - 5 Jun Buy Tickets*

Green Day Green day - Berlin, Hamburg, Nürenberg - June Buy Tickets*

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