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Exposure to phthalates linked to abdominal fat, insulin resistance
A new study suggests that a class of common chemicals found in soap and plastics could be feeding the obesity epidemic -- contributing to abdominal obesity and insulin resistance in men.
Phthalates, a chemical used in the production of plastics (the softer the plastic, the more phthalates included), are already guilty of causing male reproductive problems like low sperm counts and low testosterone levels. Studies showed that testosterone levels had dropped about 22 percent in men, and that sperm counts had dropped to levels that are considered subfertile or infertile.
Dr. Ted Schettler, science director for the Science and Environmental Health Network says: "It's an important observation that chemical exposures could be contributing to obesity and diabetes in the general population. This is one more example of a family of chemicals that may be contributing to this problem, but this study has obvious limits that the authors acknowledge in great detail."
The study was published in the online edition of Environmental Health Perspectives.
Phthalates have been widely used for more fifty years in everything from paint to plastics, from toys to time-released medicines, but it's been only recently that they are beginning to be seriously studied. Animal studies show that phthalates decrease testosterone levels while human studies have found that phthalates are associated with poor sperm quality in men.
What's the connection? Men with low testosterone levels develop abdominal obesity and insulin resistance.
"That's the missing link, testosterone as a [possible] link between phthalates and obesity," says Dr. Richard Stahlhut, a resident in preventive medicine at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in New York.
Stahlhut and his researchers analyzed urine, blood samples and other data collected for the National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey (NHANES), a large government survey, from 1999 to 2002.
Out of the 1,451 adult men that were involved in the study had data on phthalate exposures, obesity and waist circumference. 651 of these men also had data on fasting glucose and insulin levels needed to calculate insulin resistance.
Based on this analysis, more than 75 percent of the U.S. population has measurable levels of several different kinds of phthalates detectable in their urine.
And here's the kicker: men with the highest levels of phthalates in their urine had more belly fat and insulin resistance, even after adjusting for other factors.
Also, the chemicals have been shown, in animal studies, to have an effect on thyroid hormone, which could also be a pathway to increased obesity.
No doubt, phthalates are not the entire ball of wax... let's not forget fast food and sugar drinks, not to mention the modern sedentary lifestyle. The obesity epidemic is being shown as a multifacted problem, and chemical exposure may be one among many factors. There are clear indications that striving for an organic and more natural lifestyle is important for your health.
