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How Environmental ‘Obesogens’ Are Rewriting Metabolism
Developing
In Short: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) found in everyday plastics, food packaging, and consumer goods may interfere with how the human body processes weight, stores fat, and regulates metabolism, according to experts.
Fady Hannah-Shmouni, MD, medical director of Eli Health and an endocrinologist at the University of British Columbia, noted that while these chemicals do not replace the traditional 'calories in, calories out' conversation, they may help explain some nuances around weight regulation and fat storage.
Manish Arora, PhD, professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, explained that EDCs can encourage fat cell proliferation and increase fat accumulation, while also interfering with how the endocrine system and the brain interact, potentially increasing hunger.
Hannah-Shmouni highlighted that EDCs can interfere with hormonal pathways involved in insulin sensitivity, lipid metabolism, and thyroid function, but cautioned that much of the evidence comes from cell and animal studies, with human research primarily finding associations between exposure to some EDCs and obesity or metabolic outcomes.
These chemicals, such as bisphenol A and certain phthalates, are commonly found in plastics, packaging, and personal-care products, and exposure typically comes from a cumulative combination of products rather than a single source.
Experts suggest that food and food-contact materials are useful places to start in reducing exposure, as they are regular exposures people can modify.
Grün and Blumberg coined the term 'obesogens' to describe foreign chemical compounds that inappropriately alter lipid homeostasis and fat storage, change metabolic set-points, disrupt energy balance, and modify appetite regulation.
While diet, physical activity, sleep, genetics, and underlying hormonal conditions still matter most, modern life ensures continuous, low-dose exposure to chemical agents that may contribute to metabolic dysfunction.
What this adds
The report adds that more recent research has examined the impact of EDCs on the gut microbiome, where disruption to gut flora can lead to inflammation and impaired liver function, further altering fat metabolism.
Background
Obesogens are certain chemical compounds that are hypothesised to disrupt normal development and balance of lipid metabolism, which in some cases, can lead to obesity.
What's still developing
- Moretti said that energy balance remains fundamental to body-weight management, but obesogens may modify an individual’s susceptibility to weight gain and metabolic dysfunction through several mechanisms, though human evidence strength varies and cannot attribute an individual case of obesity to a specific chemical exposure.