Synthetic chemicals in food, personal care products found to influence obesity

According to University of Missouri-Columbia scientist Frederick vom Saal, endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in everyday plastics and pesticides may influence obesity. A study conducted there has found that these environmental substances can change the functioning of a fetus's genes, altering the metabolic system and predisposing him or her to obesity.

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What you need to know - Conventional View
• According to vom Saal, there are approximately 55,000 man-made chemicals in the world, 1,000 of which might fall into the category of endocrine disruption.

• When fetuses are exposed to these chemicals the way their genes function may be altered, making them more prone to obesity and disease, according to Vom Saal

• Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places.

• "You inherit genes, but how those genes develop during your very early life also plays an important role in your propensity for obesity and disease. People who have abnormal metabolic systems have to live extremely different lifestyles in order to not be obese because their systems are malfunctioning," vom Saal said.

• Using lab mice, vom Saal has studied the effects of endocrine-disrupting chemicals, including bisphenol-A, which recently made news in San Francisco during controversy over an ordinance that seeks to ban its use in children's products, according to Medical Research News.

• In a clinical setting, obesity is typically evaluated by measuring BMI (body mass index), waist circumference, and the presence of risk factors and comorbidities.

• Especially in recent decades, obesity has come to be seen as more of a medical condition or serious public health problem in modern Western culture.

• Excessive body weight has been linked to various diseases, particularly cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancer, diabetes mellitus type 2, sleep apnea, and osteoarthritis, according to Wikipedia
What you need to know - Alternative View
Statements and opinions by Mike Adams, author of Grocery Warning: How to identify and avoid dangerous food ingredients

• The explosion in obesity over the last three decades is directly related to consumers' massive exposure to chemicals in foods, cosmetics, personal care products and home cleaning products.

• Living a green, "natural" lifestyle and consuming organic produce minimizes exposure to chemicals.