Obesogens

 

September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.

For decades, diagnoses of overweight and obesity have been viewed as the logical result of people making poor behavioral choices: If we didn’t eat so much sugar and fat contained in prepared and processed foods or if we got up off the couch and exercised every day, we wouldn’t have a problem with our body weight, right? But what if establishing and maintaining a healthy body weight went beyond our personal preferences and self-control?

Obesogens are chemicals that have been shown to disrupt the body’s endocrine functions even at very low concentrations. By interfering with hormones, these endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) work to increase the number and size of fat cells (adipocytes). Darbre’s Encyclopedia of Food Safety describes the mechanisms of action that may result in weight gain or in failure to lose excess weight:

Obesogens are defined as compounds which cause weight gain. They may act directly to increase the number of fat cells or the storage of fat within the cells. Alternatively, they may act less directly through altering appetite, metabolic rate, or energy balance. Exposure to some persistent organic pollutants, phthalates, and bisphenol A can give rise to obesity in animal models, and such compounds are increasingly implicated in the rapid rise in obesity, metabolic syndrome, and diabetes in young people.

 

Obesogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in common consumer products, food, and air and water contaminated with chemicals and fossil fuel pollutants. Dan Brennan, M.D. identifies some well-known EDCs that are obesogens:

Phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens are found in food products, including soybeans, lentils, and chickpeas.

Organotins. These chemicals are fungicides. They are used in treating wood for building materials.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). PAHs are byproducts caused by the burning of some types of fuel. They result in air pollution.‌

Bisphenol A (BPA). BPA and similar chemicals are used in plastics. They are found in food and beverage containers.

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). PBDEs are flame retardants. They are used to treat materials such as fabrics or furniture to make them less likely to catch fire.‌

Phthalates. Phthalates are plasticizing agents. They are found in cosmetics, medicines, and paint.‌

Parabens. Parabens are preservatives found in food, paper products, and medicines.

Pesticides. Pesticides used in agricultural industries may have obesogenic effects.‌

Alkylphenols. These are a type of surfactant and thickener that are used in many consumer goods, such as rubber or paint.

 

One class of chemicals not on Dr. Brennan’s list is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). In 2018, Harvard researchers detected a link between exposure to these chemicals (which are found in a large number of consumer products because of their useful anti-stick, anti-grease, water-resistant, and flame-retardant properties) and a variety of health impacts, including obesity:

The chemicals […] have been linked with cancer, hormone disruption, immune dysfunction, high cholesterol, and obesity.

PFASs have been used for more than 60 years in products ranging from food wrappers to clothing to pots and pans, and studies have shown that they’ve contaminated drinking water near industrial sites, military bases, and wastewater treatment plants. These chemicals can accumulate in drinking water and food chains and persist for a long time in the body.

 

Avoiding exposure to obesogens can be difficult because the chemicals are found in so many products we use. Checking ingredients on food and product labels and avoiding plastic packaging for food and beverages can help reduce the risk of exposure. So can blocking outdoor air pollution from entering houses, businesses, and schools and keeping indoor spaces dust-free. (Advocating for clean air and a healthy environment for everyone doesn’t hurt either!) And, Dr. Brennan warns pregnant women:

There is some evidence that obesogens can affect babies while they are in the womb. Avoiding obesogens during pregnancy may help your baby.

 

Read more about obesogens and EDCs from the Endocrine Society here and from the American Academy of Pediatrics here. Find more about PFAS from the AAP here.

Dr. Ketyer is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health and Climate Change.

 

(Google Images)

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/09/28/obesogens/