What’s an Obesogen?

March 7, 2007 by admin.

I was reading an article in the February 24th, 2007 issue of The Economist where the author was discussing the possibility that a pregnant woman’s exposure to chemicals in plastics may predispose her fetus to becoming fat during his or her lifetime.  The thought is these chemicals somehow alter the activity of genes and hormones in the fetus.  Of course, right now the studies have only been done on laboratory mice.  But it does raise the question whether endocrine (hormone) disrupters do play a part in the increase of obesity that we’re seeing in the United Sates, as well as world-wide.  Dr. Blumberg of the University of California at Irvine coined the term “obesogens” for those disrupters in our environment that may be making us fat.

However, until we really know for sure whether chemical compounds are interfering with the body’s normal fat-formation process by putting it into overdrive, the best thing you can do is curb calories.  Healthcare professionals still believe that it’s a matter of how many calories you take in versus how many you burn up.  So eating healthy and exercising is still the best bet.  Don’t forget about all the studies done on mice that showed that a low calorie intake promotes longer life!

If you think that this could be a problem for you, visit my website at www.advantagediets.com for the “connect-the-dots” system of eating and losing weight.

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