Household Toxins

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Household Chemical May Be Cause of Obesity

The Chemical Phthalate Has Been Shown to Be the Cause of Obesity, Low Testosterone Levels and Decreased Sperm Count

By Jonathan McLelland, published Mar 27, 2007

When one thinks about obesity, only one thing really comes to mind -- eating tons and tons of horrible foods that are high in fat and sugar -- usually fast food. But what if there was something else that can cause individuals to be obese? What if these things seemingly were completely harmless to our minds, but in all actuality they were aiding the obesity epidemic? Well, this is exactly what some researchers are finding. Scientists have discovered that exposure to some chemicals that are commonly found in soaps and plastics could be contributing to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in men.

These chemicals are known as phthalates, and have already been put to blame for certain male reproductive problems, which include low sperm counts and low testosterone levels. No matter how much research has gone into these chemicals and their reactions, there are still some debates on whether or not they are actually causing these health problems. Dr. Richard Stahlhut, is a resident in preventive medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in New York. He has been the researcher that has been studying the effects of these chemicals on male reproductive and testosterone levels, which they have already found that the testosterone levels have dropped around 22% and that sperm counts have also dropped to levels that are considered sub fertile or even infertile.

Dr. Ted Schettler is the science director for the Science and Environmental Health Network. He has stated that these chemical exposures could be one of the contributing factors to obesity and diabetes in the general population. Many people have questions about what this chemical actually is, though. Phthalates have been used widely for more than half-a-century. They can be found in everything from paint to time-released medicines. Even though this chemical has been around for many years, it is just now under speculation for some of these health problems. The reason for all of the research, is because throughout numerous animal studies, researchers have noted that when the animals are in contact with this chemical they have a decrease in testosterone levels, however, human studies have found that these chemicals are connected with poor sperm quality.

So where does the issue of obesity come into play? Men that have a low testosterone count always develop abdominal obesity and insulin resistance, thus many researchers are speculating that the chemical phthalates may be the reason for the low testosterone levels. In men, this may be the reason why so many men with low testosterone levels are becoming obese. Throughout the researchers studies, they studied the urine and blood samples which were collected from the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), which is a large government survey that was conducted from 1999 to 2002. Throughout this survey, it was concluded that 1,451 men had been exposed to phthalates - of which they were all obese. Of these men, 651 of them had interesting glucose and insulin level which concluded an insulin resistance.

There was a scary survey which was conducted that concluded that 75% of the U.S. population has quite a bit of phthalate levels in their urine. Men which had the highest levels of this chemical had more belly fat and insulin resistance. Even though this study is fairly new, and there is still quite some way to go, the questions that are raised are very poignant. So, just perhaps, your obesity is not solely your fault. Perhaps, here are chemicals that are aiding your battle with the bulge.

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