Difficulty losing weight? Well, there are so many possible causes! I can suggest one that is little known: according to the US government this one thing is the number one pollutant in the human body and will put a quick halt to reaching your desired level of fitness and fat loss. Surprisingly – or perhaps not – one cause of obesity is the pervasive and high levels of phthalates or plasticizers.
Phthalate levels in humans are 10,000 times higher than thousands of other environmental toxins. They are difficult or impossible to avoid and are found in every species even in the most remote and seemingly pristine places. Children, at six years, now have levels that used to take 40 years to accumulate.
The sad point is the fact that these toxins stockpile in the body and overwhelm our ability to remove them. They are stored in fat.
Phthalates are classified as xenoestrogens, foreign compounds functioning as hormone disrupters by binding to hormone receptors and preventing – or increasing – hormone activity. While endocrine disrupters are usually associated with diseases such as endometriosis, infertility, breast, ovarian, prostate and testicular cancers, they can also create a ‘no win’ situation when it comes to losing weight. In addition to disrupting liver metabolism and the body’s ability to process nutrients they negatively affect the hormones that affect fat storage and the biochemisty of fat loss. They affect receptors in the nuclei of our cells that control many metabolic processes crucial for fat tissue and contribute to fat accumulation.
Beware of plastic bottles, plastic food packaging, cosmetics, nail polish, new furniture and mattresses, carpets, Styrofoam cups, IVs, vinyl flooring, construction materials, home wiring, computers, industrial and auto exhausts, etc.
What can be done to unburden our bodies other than not drinking from Styrofoam cups or plastic bottles? We can compensate for nutrient losses caused by phthalates: zinc, vitamins C and E, and lowered levels of glutathione. Glutathione, which helps your cells and liver to remove toxin substances can be increased by eating lots of dark green and cruciferous vegetables, garlic and onions, and by supplements such as N-acetyl cysteine, MSM, SAMe. A health professional trained in nutritional evaluation can help you choose wisely. Phthalate burdens can be tested in urine through specialty laboratories. Exercise, saunas, increased fluid intake can all enhance removal of toxic chemicals.
Too often we try to change the symptom, the result – obesity, arthritis, indigestion – rather than find the underlying cause and correct it.
Donna Rasplica, MSc, Dr.TCM, IFMCP
