We documented in 2012 that that toxic chemicals in our food, water and air our causing an epidemic of obesity … even in 6 month old infants [3].
No matter how lazy and gluttonous adults may have become recently, 6-month-olds can’t be lazy … they can’t even walk, let alone go to the gym. And 6-month-olds can’t “binge” … Gerber doesn’t make corn dogs or milk chocolate truffles fried in beer batter.
And we documented in 2012 that the same thing is being observed in animals [4] … hardly your stereotypical couch potatoes.
A study [5] published last month in the journal Obesity Research & Clinical Practice found that it’s harder for adults today to maintain the same weight – even at the same levels of food intake and exercise – as adults in the 1980s. (As reported by the Atlantic [6] and the Independent [7].)
And last month, the prestigious [8] Endocrine Society reinforced the argument that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are making us fat.
As Medical Xpress reports [9]:
Emerging evidence ties endocrine-disrupting chemical exposure to two of the biggest public health threats facing society – diabetes and obesity, according to the executive summary of an upcoming Scientific Statement issued today by the Endocrine Society.
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The statement builds upon the Society’s groundbreaking 2009 report, which examined the state of scientific evidence on endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and the risks posed to human health.
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The chemicals are so common that nearly every person on Earth has been exposed to one or more. An economic analysis [10] published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in March estimated that EDC exposure likely costs the European Union €157 billion ($209 billion) a year in actual health care expenses and lost earning potential.
“The evidence is more definitive than ever before – EDCs disrupt hormones in a manner that harms human health,” said Andrea C. Gore, Professor and Vacek Chair of Pharmacology at the University of Texas at Austin and chair of the task force that developed the statement. “Hundreds of studies are pointing to the same conclusion, whether they are long-term epidemiological studies in human, basic research in animals and cells, or research into groups of people with known occupational exposure to specific chemicals.”
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Animal studies found that exposure to even tiny amounts of EDCs during the prenatal period can trigger obesity later in life. Similarly, animal studies found that some EDCs directly target beta and alpha cells in the pancreas, fat cells, and liver cells. This can lead to insulin resistance and an overabundance of the hormone insulin in the body – risk factors for Type 2 diabetes.
Epidemiological studies of EDC exposure in humans also point to an association with obesity and diabetes, although the research design did not allow scientists to determine causality. The research offers insights into factors driving the rising rates of obesity and diabetes. About 35 percent of American adults are obese, and more than 29 million Americans have diabetes, according to the Society’s Endocrine Facts and Figures report [11].
Postscript: This is in no way an excuse. I've got to get off my @ss and exercise more and pig out less if I want to lose my "Dad Bod" [12].
But it doesn't f@©king help.