#obesogens

Animal studies have linked obesity and other health problems with exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). That’s a common ingredient of many clear, hard plastics and the resins that line food cans. Concerns over BPA health impacts led manufacturers to start phasing out the chemical in products that make contact with foods and drinks. Now a study in children and teens suggests that even some BPA substitutes may foster weight gain.

Those substitutes — BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F) — are now used as a lining in some aluminum food cans. They’re also found in the paper used to print cash-register receipts.

Scientists Say: Obesogens

Melanie Jacobson works in New York City at the New York University School of Medicine. Her team’s new study finds that overweight kids tend to have higher levels of BPS and BPF in their bodies than do normal-weight kids. That would suggest that like BPA, these chemicals are obesogens (Oh-BE-suh-genz).

The group described its findings on July 25 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Some pollutants act like hormones

Hormones control many of the body’s activities. At least in animals, BPA can mimic estrogens, a type of hormone. In fact, animal studies had shown BPA could cause harm by interfering with the body’s natural hormones. The new data suggest some BPA substitutes also may be hormone mimics.

Explainer: What is a hormone?

“It’s not surprising,” Bruce Blumberg says of the new findings. Previous research had linked BPA to obesity in both kids and adults. A cell biologist, Blumberg studies obesogens at the University of California in Irvine. He notes that a chemical’s structure, or shape, determines how it acts. And the chemical structures of both BPS and BPF, he notes, closely resemble that of BPA.

Chemicals that interfere with how our bodies store and process fat are referred to as 'obesogens', and have been suggested as a possible contributor to the increasing number of obesity cases. Obesogens reprogram how our cells work in two main ways: they can promote fat accumulation through increasing the number and size of fat cells or by increasing appetite, or they can make it more difficult to lose fat by changing our ability to burn calories. Previous studies have identified these chemicals in many everyday products, such as pesticides, plastics, flame retardants, repellent coatings on kitchen utensils and clothes, and artificial sweeteners. This comprehensive analysis aims to highlight to health professionals, and the public, the main sources of obesogens, and includes specific recommendations on minimising exposure.

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Based on the findings of the review, the researchers suggest specific recommendations to reduce obesogen exposure. The recommendations include:

Choosing fresh food over processed products with long lists of ingredients on the label—the longer the list, the more likely the product is to contain obesogens

Buying fruit and vegetables produced without pesticides, such as certified organic or local pesticide-free products

Reducing the use of plastic, especially when heating or storing food. Instead, use glass or aluminium containers for your food and drinks.

Removing shoes when entering the house to avoid bringing in contaminants in the sole of shoes

Vacuuming often, using high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters and dust your house frequently using a damp cloth.

Removing or minimising carpet at home or work, as they tend to accumulate more dust

Animal studies have linked obesity and other health problems with exposure to bisphenol A (BPA). That’s a common ingredient of many clear, hard plastics and the resins that line food cans. Concerns over BPA health impacts led manufacturers to start phasing out the chemical in products that make contact with foods and drinks. Now a study in children and teens suggests that even some BPA substitutes may foster weight gain.

Those substitutes — BPS (bisphenol S) and BPF (bisphenol F) — are now used as a lining in some aluminum food cans. They’re also found in the paper used to print cash-register receipts.

Scientists Say: Obesogens

Melanie Jacobson works in New York City at the New York University School of Medicine. Her team’s new study finds that overweight kids tend to have higher levels of BPS and BPF in their bodies than do normal-weight kids. That would suggest that like BPA, these chemicals are obesogens (Oh-BE-suh-genz).

The group described its findings on July 25 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.

Some pollutants act like hormones

Hormones control many of the body’s activities. At least in animals, BPA can mimic estrogens, a type of hormone. In fact, animal studies had shown BPA could cause harm by interfering with the body’s natural hormones. The new data suggest some BPA substitutes also may be hormone mimics.

Explainer: What is a hormone?

“It’s not surprising,” Bruce Blumberg says of the new findings. Previous research had linked BPA to obesity in both kids and adults. A cell biologist, Blumberg studies obesogens at the University of California in Irvine. He notes that a chemical’s structure, or shape, determines how it acts. And the chemical structures of both BPS and BPF, he notes, closely resemble that of BPA.

Obesogens (noun, “o-BEE-so-gens”)

Obesogens are chemicals that can increase the risk of weight gain. Obesogens belong to a group of chemicals called endocrine disruptors. These chemicals mimic hormones, a group of chemicals that play many roles in the body. Hormones help guide our sexual development. They also determine when we sleep and control how much we eat.

When endocrine disrupters enter the body, they can imitate hormone signals. This can change the way our bodies function. Obesogens can work in this way. As a result, they can increase the number of fat cells in the body or make the body store more fat. They can also change how often someone feels full or hungry.

Chemicals such as bisphenol A — a molecule formerly used in plastics — may be obesogens. Cigarette smoke and some kinds of air pollution may also act as obesogens.  

In a sentence

Even some house dust may contain materials that make fat cells grow.