I’m having a difficult time trying to lose a few pounds. I do all the right things. I exercise and eat well. I keep myself hydrated. Ok, I may not get as much sleep as I should, but could that be the culprit that’s making those last few pounds stick stubbornly to my buns? Maybe not, say doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center, NYC, who, in a long-term study on girls living in Harlem, an inner city section of Manhattan, found that exposure to phthalates, chemical compounds found in cleaning products, plastic bottles and yes, cosmetics, have been shown to disrupt the body’s natural weight control system. Their research indicates that daily exposure to phthalates may be associated with childhood obesity and weight problems in adults.
Phthalates, huh? I can hardly pronounce the word – the “ph” is silent – but they’re found in 70 percent of cosmetics and, while the theory that they can make us fat has been explored before – and roundly ridiculed – it’s gaining new legs as additional studies are undertaken.
Just today, it was announced that a first-of-its-kind, large scale University of Michigan study confirmed a link between phthalates, BPA and thyroid hormone levels. Using publicly available data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, researchers compared urine matabolites and serum thryroid measures from 1,346 adults and 329 children. They found that greater concentrations of urinary phthalate metabolites and BPA were associated with greater impacts on serum thyroid measures. (Thyroid hormones play a vital role in many body functions including metabolism, energy balance and reproduction.) Oh, and BPA is Bisphenol-A, a nasty compound that’s widely used in canned and bottled foods, including baby bottles, although many manufacturers have discontinued its use due to research like the study conducted at UM. BPA is also “estrogenic,” which means it acts as functional estrogen in the body. It’s been linked to low sperm motility in men and early puberty in girls. Check out these short pieces I wrote for CalorieLab.com: BPA Levels Adversely Affect Male Sexuality, Consumer Concerns Help Remove BPA from Packaging.
This cosmetics theory makes sense, right? Chemicals we put on our bodies are absorbed into them through our skin. So, daily use of phthalates-laden shampoos, conditioners, face creams, body lotions, lipsticks – oh! – increase the amount of phthalates in our bodies, disrupting our hormonal balance and resulting in insulin resistance and weight gain. Scientists call them “chemical calories” and they are evil.
And, it gets worse. If you’re dieting – and reducing the amount of fat you eat – you also reduce the amount of fat-soluble vitamins in your body. The result? Dry skin and hair. The solution? Moisturizers and cream conditioners, many of which contain, say it with me, phthalates. It’s a vicious cycle.
Animal studies have shown that phthalates affect the glands and hormones that regulate many bodily functions. A recent article in the UK’s Daily Mail, quotes Zoe Harcombe, nutritionist and author of the Obesity Epidemic, who says that any disruption to hormone levels “is very bad news” for dieters. “In men, phthalates and other chemicals have an anti-testosterone capacity that has been linked to obesity,” she says. “In women they mess up our basic genetic hormone balance so that you get disruptions similar to those that might occur during menopause or at puberty.”
Great! (Please read that with a sarcastic tone to your inner voice.)
Want more evidence? A 2007 study, conducted by University of Rochester School of Medicine researchers, found that phthalates contributed to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in men. When they analyzed blood and urine samples of 1,451 men, researchers found that those with the highest level of phthalates in their urine had the most belly fat and insulin resistance. And, get this, they also had the lowest levels of testosterone, which researchers said was the main reason for their weight gain.
Let’s recap: Phthalates, chemical compounds found in many household products including cosmetics and shampoos, may be responsible for changing our hormonal balances resulting in weight gain and insulin resistance. Research indicates that phthalates, known as potent endocrine disruptors, may be responsible for lowering the age a girl reaches puberty and for depressed testosterone levels in men.
So what’s a slightly round beauty junkie to do? Look for products that specifically say they are BPA free. Many baby bottles and water bottles proudly proclaim this on their labels. Mount Sinai study author Dr. Philip Landrigan, in the Daily Mail article, says you can reduce your exposure by checking labels for phthalates and bisphenol-A. “Eating as much organic food as you can will reduce your chemical intake, but choosing cosmetics and toiletries carefully is also very important,” he says. “If you put something on your skin, you absorb it and you need to find a brand that doesn’t use phthalates or any chemicals. The science against them is strong.”
Check out these posts on organic cosmetics and S’well toxin-free water bottles:
Watering the Planet with S’well Bottles
Celebrate Earth Day with Eco-Friendly Products
Natural Products for EverBeautiful Summer Skin
That is truly unbelievable. Phthalates? BUT I can’t help but believe this is thoroughly valid, given your constant level of thoroughness and commitment as a journalist as well as the research behind it, via top-level sources such as the University of Rochester. Thanks again, as always, Melody, for serving up such astonishing zero-calorie food for thought.
It is unbelievable – and it’s still a theory, but the research is slowly and frighteningly bearing it out. We shall see what happens. Some states, I believe five of them, have banned BPA from baby bottles and/or canned foods. It’s still controversial. Several European countries have banned it from baby bottles too. And there’s this from the National Cancer Inst: “Formaldehyde has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing substance) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and as a probable human carcinogen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.” And yet, it’s being used every day in salons across the country for the Brazilian hair straightening technique. (Different substance, but I’m pointing out that, despite that it’s a known carcinogen, it’s still in daily use.) Scary.