Some pesticides and chemicals from plastics persist for a very long time in the environment. Many persist in our body fat as well and have estrogen-like activity.
Fatty Tissue Harbors Endocrine Disruptors
A Portuguese study of obese women undergoing bariatric surgery found that the fat tissue removed had significant levels of such environmental estrogens. Those with the highest levels of endocrine-disrupting compounds such as pesticides in their fat tissue had higher blood sugar, higher markers of systemic inflammation and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease as measured by the Framingham scale.
The lead researcher concluded:
“Our findings show that endocrine-disrupting chemicals tend to aggravate complications of obesity, including inflammation and cardiovascular disease risk, in premenopausal women.”
So many chronic diseases are triggered or aggravated by inflammation that this is a significant health concern. What is still unknown is how to lower the burden of bodily contamination from environmental pollutants.
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, online Apr. 8, 2015
