More accurately called endocrine disrupting chemicals, obesogens are certain chemicals that are prevalent all around us, but most importantly, they are in our food. Obesogens come in packaged foods, beverages and in fresh produce. They have been linked to obesity and other health issues. Learn what obesogens are and how to avoid these endocrine disrupting chemicals before they damage your health.
Obesogen is a fairly new word and scientists are finally starting to look into how these chemicals can lead to weight gain, obesity, and endocrine disorders.
Obesogens are known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that can interfere with our body’s hormones, disrupt our healthy gut bacteria, and cause other health issues. One of the main concerns is about how obesogens might cause weight gain leading to obesity.
There are 80,000 different chemicals registered for use in the United States including pesticides and herbicides used in the growing and harvesting of food. There are approximately 14,000 food additives approved for use in our food which also include various chemicals.
Many of these additives are recognized by the FDA as Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). These additives are used to make our food taste better, look more appealing and last longer on the grocery store shelf. Without these chemicals, much of the processed foods today would look very unappealing.
As the name endocrine disrupting chemicals implies, these chemicals disrupt the healthy functioning of the endocrine system of the body. The endocrine system consists of:
These obesogens have been shown in animal studies to affect adipose tissue by altering the programming of fat cell development, increasing energy storage in fat tissue, and interfering with neuroendocrine control of appetite and satiety. [1]
Obesogens are known as endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that can interfere with our body’s hormones, disrupt our healthy gut bacteria, and cause other health issues. One of the main concerns is about how obesogens might cause weight gain leading to obesity.
Chemicals and Obesogens in Our Food
There are 80,000 different chemicals registered for use in the United States including pesticides and herbicides used in the growing and harvesting of food. There are approximately 14,000 food additives approved for use in our food which also include various chemicals.
Many of these additives are recognized by the FDA as Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). These additives are used to make our food taste better, look more appealing and last longer on the grocery store shelf. Without these chemicals, much of the processed foods today would look very unappealing.
As the name endocrine disrupting chemicals implies, these chemicals disrupt the healthy functioning of the endocrine system of the body. The endocrine system consists of:
- The hypothalamus and pituitary glands, which controls the other organs of the endocrine system.
- The adrenal glands control mental and physical stress.
- The thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism, body weight, and body temperature.
- The reproductive organs.
- The pancreas, which is responsible for blood sugar regulation, enzyme production and for insulin production.
- The pineal gland, responsible for secreting melatonin and regulating sleep.
Food additives made from different sources including petroleum-based additives. Everything from artificial colors, artificial flavors, fake sugars, hormones, and antibiotics are added to the foods many of us eat daily.
- Increasing the number of fat cells in the body.
- Increasing the size of fat cells, the storage of fat per cell, or both.
- Altering the hormones that regulate appetite, satiety, and food preferences (ghrelin and leptin hormones).
- Altering endocrine pathways responsible for the control of adipose (fat) tissue development.
- Altering energy (calorie) balance to favor the storage of calories.
- Altering a person’s basal metabolic rate (BMR).
- Altering insulin sensitivity and lipid (fat) metabolism in endocrine tissues such as the pancreas, adipose (fat) tissue, liver, gastrointestinal tract, brain, and muscle. [2]
How Obesogens Could Cause Obesity
Obesogens can damage and alter how our body works, especially when dealing with calories and fat. How obesogens might cause weight gain and obesity includes:
Gut Bacteria and Obesity
Our gut microbiome or good gut bacteria is essential for good health. All of those billions of microbes living in our gut influence our daily health, and having too few of the good type of bacteria can cause poor digestion, chronic illnesses, mental health problems, and obesity.
To prove just how important good types of gut bacteria are to health, scientists conducted tests on lean mice by using antibiotics to kill off all gut bacteria and then replacing their gut bacteria with gut bacteria from obese mice.
Soon afterward, the lean mice became obese without any change in their diet. Gut bacteria is important and some obesogens can kill the good gut bacteria.
Certain types of chemicals, medications and food additives can alter the gut bacteria. Recent studies have found that artificial sugars (obesogens) may contribute to obesity by altering the microbiome and inducing metabolic changes associated with glucose intolerance. [3]
Leptin, the Satiety Hormone
Leptin is known as the satiety hormone because it tells the brain when we are full. Leptin is made by adipose tissue (fat) and is secreted into the circulatory system, and then to the hypothalamus.
A certain amount of fat is healthy and protects our organs, but too much fat, especially belly fat, leads to obesity. When a person has too much fat, leptin should direct the brain to tell us to eat less food, unless a person has leptin resistance and the brain isn't responding to the leptin signals.
Studies have found that the obesogen, high fructose corn syrup, can cause leptin resistance. This is similar to insulin resistance, and HFCS can lead to both types of resistance.
Ghrelin, the Hunger Hormone
Ghrelin is the hormone that tells your brain you are hungry, that it is time to eat food. If the ghrelin hormone has been hijacked by food additives and obesogens, a person would always feel hungry and want to eat more. Obesogens and food additive chemicals can fool ghrelin into thinking you are still hungry.
Remember the old slogan; bet you can’t eat just one, they knew what they were talking about. As the book 
Feeding You Lies points out, these food companies know exactly what they are putting in our food and how it affects our health.
Feeding You Lies points out, these food companies know exactly what they are putting in our food and how it affects our health. Obesogens In Our Food
Today, food manufacturers are putting more and more chemicals and additives into our food to the point the ingredients looks more like a list out of a chemistry book. The best way to protect yourself from these obesogens in your food is to learn what they are so you can avoid them.
Obesogens in our food to be aware of and avoided include:
- Artificial sweeteners that are found in the ingredients with names like aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium, and saccharin.
- High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is an obesogen that can lead to obesity, insulin resistance, and type II diabetes. High fructose corn syrup is not the same as refined white sugar. Regular sugar is 50% glucose and 50% fructose. High fructose corn syrup ranges from 55% fructose to as high as 92% fructose.
- Hormones and antibiotics are found in commercially raised meat and dairy products that can disrupt hormones and alter the healthy gut microbiome. Antibiotics can kill the good bacteria in our digestive system leaving us open to various chronic health issues. You can avoid these endocrine disruptors by buying only 100% certified organic grass-fed beef and eliminating dairy products.
- Artificial and natural flavors are also obesogens. Artificial flavors mean that the flavor can be made of any allowed chemicals to imitate a flavor. Natural flavor can consist of a chemical originally found in the food advertised and enhanced with any number of chemical additives.
- Estradiol is a synthetic form of estrogen given to dairy cows to increase milk production. This interferes with the body’s normal fat formation and storage mechanisms.
- Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical and also an excitotoxin that affects the brain. MSG is called by many different names in the ingredients such as glutamate, autolyzed yeast extract, hydrolyzed protein, hydrolyzed vegetable protein, yeast extract, and Ajinomoto.
- Herbicides and pesticides are dangerous obesogens that are becoming all too common in our food supply today. The only way to avoid these is to buy 100% USDA organic certified. Washing can help, but systemic chemicals find their way into the plants.
- Glyphosate is one of the most dangerous obesogens in our food.
- Packaging. Certain materials used in food packaging are also endocrine disrupting chemical obesogens. These include bisphenol A (BPA), phthalates, tributyltin, and arsenic. Thankfully, you can find more BPA free containers and BPA free packaging.
Other sources of endocrine disrupting chemicals in our daily life include certain medications, pollutants, and paraben, which can be found in shampoo, toothpaste, and deodorants. It is best to buy paraben free shampoo.
Glyphosate is an Obesogen
Glyphosate was first registered in the United States in 1974 by Monsanto (recently purchased by Bayer) and known today as Roundup. Glyphosate is not only an obesogen; it is also registered as an antibiotic, which means it can disrupt our hormones and our gut bacteria. Glyphosate is found in
increasing amounts on corn, wheat, oats and rice. [4]
According to a new study, bacteria develop antibiotic resistance up to 100,000 times faster when exposed to the world's most widely used herbicides, Roundup (glyphosate) and Kamba (dicamba) when compared to bacteria without the herbicide. [5]
There is a concern today that glyphosate is a hidden reason for the sharp increase in obesity. Interestingly, when looking at a chart of obesity, the epidemic of obesity took off in 1975, at the time glyphosate was introduced into our food supply. [6]
Lab tests conducted by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit advocacy group that specializes in toxic chemicals, found almost 75 percent of the 45 food products tested detected high levels of glyphosate. All of these food products were from well-known brands of cereals, oatmeal, snacks and orange juices. [7]
How to Protect Yourself from Obesogens
The best way to protect you and your family from obesogens is to buy 100% certified organic food whenever possible. Look for the USDA 100% organic seal on products, and research trusted brands. In 2018, a glyphosate residue free label has been brought out and should start being displayed on various products.
Read ingredient labels constantly. Avoid foods with chemicals you don’t understand, and foods that list artificial sugars, artificial flavors, and natural flavors. When it comes to flavors in the ingredients, try to stick with certified organic products. You can also look for organic natural flavor or extract in the ingredients, which should be closer to real food.
Cooking your own meals as often as possible and using whole foods that don’t come in a package will help keep chemical additives and obesogens out of your foods. Inquire at your local grocery store if their bulk oats and flour are glyphosate free.
The more you say no to these unhealthy foods that contain obesogens and chemicals additives, the sooner you will start to lose weight, break a stubborn weight loss plateau, and feel healthier.
Obesogen Conclusion
We know that endocrine disrupting chemicals can disrupt our hormones, destroy our good gut bacteria and cause weight gain and obesity, which can lead to many types of health problems. It could be that the increase in health issues today is a direct result of these obesogens in our food.
Now that we know obesogens have become common in our food, it is important to read all ingredients and keep these obesogens out of our food as much as possible.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
© 2019 Sam Montana/Healthy Food and Life
Resources:
[1] Endocrine News: Forbidden Fruits: The Endocrine-Disrupting Threat of Obesogens
[2] Science Direct: Endocrine Disruption and Disorders of Energy Metabolism
[3] Pubmed: Artificial sweeteners induce glucose intolerance by altering the gut microbiota.
[4] National Institute of Health: Obesogens: an emerging threat to public health
[5] Phys Org: New study links common herbicides and antibiotic resistance
[6] Entropy: Glyphosate’s Suppression of Cytochrome P450 Enzymes and
Amino Acid Biosynthesis by the Gut Microbiome: Pathways to Modern Diseases
