Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., M.S.
A major cause of the obesity epidemic is the out of control level of phthalates or plasticizers which has flooded the human body.
According to the U.S. government, phthalates or plasticizers are the number one pollutants in the human body.
They are so widespread and to most folks unavoidable that they can be found in every species in the wild.
It is hard to imagine, but true, that even the polar bears in the Arctic have been found to suffer with osteoporosis and thyroid problems as a result of the accumulation of plastics (phthalates).
These environmental toxins over time damage the chemistry of these animals leading to the above mentioned diseases and more.
Beware of the simple act of drinking out of Styrofoam® cups because they leach these plastics in the liquid you are consuming!
Phthalates are 10,000 times higher than any other chemical found in the human body and is known as the highest pollutant in the body.
They are so pervasive that children six years of age have levels that used to take adults until the age of 40 to accumulate!
And even more important is the fact that a pregnant mother’s phthalate levels hugely influence not only the development of the child’s brain and glands, but even future fertility and cancers in their unborn children, not to mention, of course, obesity.
It is sad to see how many moms to be are continually drinking from plastic water bottles thinking that it’s something healthful.
There is an avalanche of government documentation supported in the scientific and medical literature which has confirmed how these plasticizers from our water, soda and infant formula bottles, food packaging, cosmetics, nail polish, mattresses, couches, carpets, clothing, medications, IVs, vinyl flooring, construction materials, home wiring, computers, industrial and auto exhausts, etc., stockpile in the body and overwhelm our ability to detoxify them.
These chemicals are routinely measured to identify the damage they are causing and are contributing to diseases other than obesity such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, ADD, syndrome X, diabetes, arteriosclerosis, allergies, and much more.
The following is an example of a phthalate lab test:
It really doesn’t matter what the “name” of the disease is. What matters is what is causing the disease and what biochemical corrections are necessary to get rid of it and actually bring about cure, a word you rarely hear in drug-oriented medicine.
There is now overwhelming evidence that people must do what it takes to detoxify phthlates and metals and correct their nutrient deficiencies before they conceive.
This of course will decrease the chances of passing these toxic plastics onto the unborn.
Obviously the researchers forgot that fat stores a huge amount of toxic chemicals, so the fatter you are the more you the more likely to have higher levels of phthalates or plasticizers in your body.
The bottom line is many people will never lose weight or cure their medical problems until they have gotten rid of the phthalates and other environmental pollutants that have damaged their chemistry and genetics. If your ability to lose fat is at a stand-still, I recommend you ask your doctor to order a phthalate test.
References:
- Heindal JJ, Endocrine disruptors and the obesity epidemic, Toxicol Sci 76; 2:247-49, 2003
- Rogers Sherry, Total Wellness, Prestige Publishing, February 2011
- Baillie-Hamilton PF, Chemical toxins: a hypothesis to explain the global obesity epidemic, J Alt Complement Med 8;2:185-92, 2002
- Alonso-Magdalena P, et al, The estrogenic effect of bisphenol A disrupts pancreatic B-cell function in vivo and induces insulin resistance, Environ Health Perspect 114:106-12, 2006
- The Hundred Year Diet in the Wall Street (May 10, 2010, A15)
- Vom Saal FS, Welshons WV, Large effects from small exposures. II. The importance of positive controls in low-dose research on bisphenol A, Environ Res, 100;1:50-76, Jan. 2006
- Feige JN, et al, The endocrine disruptor monoethyl-hexyl phthalate is a selective peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma modulator that promotes adipogenesis, J Biol Chem 282:19152-66, 2007
- Hatch EE, et al., Association of urinary phthalate metabolite concentrations with a body mass index and waist circumference: a cross-sectional study of NHANES data, 1999-2002, Environ Health 7:27, 2008
- Clark K, et al, Observed concentrations in the environment. In: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, Vol 3, Part Q: Phthalate Ester (Staples CA, ed). New York: Springer, 125-177, 2003
- Feige JN, et al, The pollutant diethylhexyl phthalate regulates hepatic energy metabolism via species-specific PPARa-dependent mechanisms, Environ Health Persp, 118; 2:234-41, Feb 2010
- Jaakkola JJK, et al, The role of exposure to phthalates from polyvinyl chloride products in the development of asthma and allergies: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Environ Health Perspect 116:845-53, 2008