What do new car smell, your favorite fragrance, and a plastic
bottle have in common? Well, while it sounds like a bad joke, it is quite
serious. Each of these and many other common products contain substances called
obesogens. That’s right, chemicals that initiate or propagate obesity. Of
course, diet and exercise are still real contributors to weight, but the body
composition equation runs a coefficient of hormone balance and obesogens
disrupt hormone balance….sometimes in a big way! And don’t think that just because you maintain
healthy body weight that this doesn’t apply to you. Obesogens are endocrine disruptors
and are the same chemicals that contribute to hormone issues such polycystic
ovarian syndrome, amenorrhea, low testosterone, infertility, increased perimenopausal
and menopausal symptoms, and certain cancers regardless of what the scale says.
Plasticizers leach from carpets and newly installed car
interiors, thus providing that ever so pungent new car smell. In fact, when
working with a hormone imbalance patient, I ask questions about exposure to new
carpets and cars and after the weird looks, I get the story and excitement of a
new “thing”, and then another weird look. Although, more often than not
symptoms started or got worse after the new purchase.
If you’re thinking this is just another made up term to
scare us or another excuse to rationalize dietary indiscretion, you would be
misinformed. Obesogen is a term first coined in 2002 and since then has been
cited in 19 peer-reviewed articles, with 6 of those published in 2011 and 4
already in 2012. It is gaining understanding and isn’t going away.
Much like we are learning that certain phytonutrients speak
directly to our own genetic material, the hypothalamus, our master gland, and may
either potentiate or interfere with enzymes, so too do these environmental
chemicals.
The following are four truths as found in the Journal of Andrology:
- “Obesogens are chemicals that directly or indirectly lead to increased fat accumulation and obesity.
- Obesogens have the potential to disrupt multiple metabolic signaling pathways in the developing organism that can result in permanent changes in adult physiology.
- Prenatal or perinatal exposure to obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals has been shown to predispose an organism to store more fat from the beginning of its life.
- This suggests that humans, who have been exposed to obesogenic chemicals during sensitive windows of development, might be pre-programmed to store increased amounts of fat, resulting in a lifelong struggle to maintain a healthy weight and exacerbating the deleterious effects of poor diet and inadequate exercise.”[1]
So it really may be true that some people are literally
programmed to be fatter. However, that doesn’t mean that it is inevitable or
uncontrollable. We are all dealt a different deck. Not all of us have the
genetic material to be Olympic athletes and some that do, do not participate in
the required training to compete, thus illustrating the contributions of both
how we were made and what we’re exposed to. Where this becomes vitally
important is during the reproductive years. Preconception programs often
address helping moms-to-be and dads-to-be engage in healthy behaviors,
optimizing hormone levels, improving detoxification, and reducing exposures to toxins.
This is one such sensitive windows where obesogens can wreak havoc on
metabolism…prior to conception!
The list of obesogens include phthalates also known as
plasticizers are also found in personal care products such as shaving creams,
colognes, and lotions, Bisphenol A (BPA) is found in plastic bottles and
polyvinylchlorides found in shower curtains.
Recent changes at Whole Foods Market address possible
concerns with obesogens. Dr. J. Renae Norton describes these changes in a two
part series (Part I and Part II).
However, you can drive yourself crazy thinking about
avoiding these chemicals. Most of them are released for absorption through your
skin or ingested when plastics are heated. Avoiding hot plastics is a good step
in the right direction but total avoidance is likely not possible with these nearly ubiquitous chemicals. Additionally, though, you can support the excretion of
these chemicals through supporting liver, kidney, and bowel function on a daily
basis. Glutathione levels are perhaps
most important if we zoom in single markers of the body. Glutathione acts as a free
radical scavenger and also supports liver function. Without the bowel and
kidneys functioning at their best, these chemicals cannot be eliminated.
Supporting kidney function can be done with Sole therapy using Original
Himalayan Crystal Salt and pH Quintessence on a
daily basis. The pH Quintessence product also supports liver function,
glutathione levels and bowel motility, making it a versatile and easy to use
product. While obesogens may have programmed you to gain weight faster than
normal and caused hormone imbalance, supporting the hypothalamus, the master
gland, can help send the right signals to the right glands that need help the
most while your body restores homeostasis. The hypothalamus talks to the
pituitary gland and these two partners then communicate to the thyroid gland, pancreas,
adrenal glands, ovaries, and testes. Natural Health International has
introduced products for men
well as different stages of life for women (Premenopausal, Perimenopausal, and Postmenopausal) to
support comprehensive endocrine balance without introducing hormones from
outside the body but rather supporting hypothalamus and pituitary function and
all their downstream metabolic effects.
Obesogens are a serious chemical insult, but with some
awareness of their effects, can be minimized and our bodies fully supported.
[1] Janesick
A, Blumberg B.
Obesogens, stem
cells and the developmental programming of obesity. Int J Androl. 2012 Feb 28. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2605.2012.01247.x.
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