Chris D. Meletis, ND (with permission from cpmedical.net, access pin: 587556)
Over the last two to three decades, the prevalence of adults who have a body mass index (BMI) greater than normal has risen dramatically in wealthy industrialized countries, and also in poorer underdeveloped nations.1 In the United States, more than 60 percent of adults either have a body mass index (BMI) greater than normal or are overweight.2 Similar statistics have been reported for many European countries, the Middle East, Australia and China.3
While many factors may contribute to being overweight, one of the most surprising factors to emerge is the exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants. For a number of years, researchers have proposed that there is an association between endocrine disrupting chemicals and weight management issues. Then a paper published in 2002 demonstrated that the epidemic of weight gain coincided with the marked increase of industrial chemicals in the environment over the past 40 years.4 The author of the paper further pointed out that alterations in food intake and/or decrease in physical activity could not solely explain the current trend of being overweight. She referred to studies where chemicals including pesticides, organophosphates, polychlorinated biphenyls, polybrominated biphenyls, phthalates, bisphenol A, heavy metals, and some solvents were linked to weight gain, and proposed that these toxic compounds were interfering with weight homeostasis by altering weight-controlling hormones, altering sensitivity to neurotransmitters, or altering activity of the sympathetic nervous system.4
