Obesity is at an all time high in America. New research over the last 12 years shows that obesogens are a contributing factor.

The term obeseogens was coined in 2006. The first initial studies were on children and how exposure to specific chemicals disrupted their metabolism to increase their susceptibility to weight gain.

Over 80,000 chemicals are officially registered for use in the United States. And while some chemicals are toxic, and restricted in their use, there are many chemicals that disrupt your endocrine system. And are linked to a variety of diseases.

Plus they’re commonly used in many commercial products. Below is an anecdotal example:

“Rebecca is a 5 yr old girl who has gained 20 lbs in one year and is referred to us for premature breast development. An MRI of her head rules out a brain tumor. A pituitary evaluation to look for onset of puberty is unrevealing and tests show no estrogen in the blood. A more detailed history reveals Rebecca’s mother has recently taken to bathing her daughter in Victoria Secret’s bath gel. The assumption is that the bath gel contains plant estrogen. The mother is counseled to stop the bath gel and subsequently Rebecca’s weight gain and breast development cease.”

(Excerpt from the book Fat Chance by Robert Lustig, Chapter 15 Environmental Obesogesn)

I was not able to find the ingredient list for the product example used in the above anecdotal quote to help identify the specific obesogen but here are the most common ones. Read More →