The endocrine system refers to a network of organs and glands that produce, store, and secrete hormones. When functioning normally, this system works with the other systems in your body to regulate healthy function and development throughout life.
Hormone-disrupting chemicals (HDCs) are substances in manufactured products, the environment, and food sources that interfere with the functions of the endocrine system. Since these chemicals have many sources, people get exposed to them in different ways.
Common methods of exposure include water and food. The chemicals can also find their way into your body via the skin.
What Are Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals?
Have you ever looked at the packaging labels of the products in the cosmetics aisle and noticed that some are labeled as “phthalate-free” and “paraben-free?” While you know it’s good to award such products some bonus points mentally, do you know the meaning of these claims?
Every day, you interact with chemicals that health experts believe can mess with your body’s hormone functions. These hormone-disrupting chemicals are also known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
You can find them in:
1. Plastics: Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical that manufacturers use to make resins in plastic products and polycarbonate plastics. You can find it in cans used to store canned food and in food storage containers. Their effects include heart disease, obesity, early puberty onset, and cancer.
2. Pesticides: All pesticides are designed to be toxic to the pests’ reproductive and nervous systems and will often act by disrupting the functions of the endocrine system. These chemicals are considered to be hormone-disrupting substances because of similarities in how they affect animal and insect endocrine systems. A good example of this is Chlorpyrifos, which causes ADHD, attention problems, and developmental delays in children.
3. Personal care products: Phthalates, parabens, and UV filters are the most common hormone-disrupting chemicals in personal care products. Phthalates help make plastic products more flexible and are common in cosmetics, fragrances, and food packaging.
4. Industrial chemicals: These can leach into groundwater and agricultural soil, from where they can make their way into the food chain by building up in animals, fish, and people. PFAs, for example, are industrial chemicals used in firefighting foam and non-stick pan coatings.
Health Risks
While there’re no specific hormone disruption symptoms, many varied health problems have been linked to these chemicals, even in small amounts. Research on hormone disruptors is ongoing, but several possible health effects have been observed.
For example, studies show that these hormone-disrupting chemicals can cause a decline in sperm quality. Researchers have suggested that elevated levels of these hormone-disrupting chemicals can lead to an increased risk of a miscarriage or impaired female reproduction.
Though debatable, there’s research that suggests that hormone disruptors can cause a higher risk of developing endometriosis in women. Below is a detailed look at the health risks posed by hormone-disrupting chemicals.
1. Infertility: Hormones play a crucial role in reproduction. Healthy fertility rates depend on plentiful sperm in men and viable eggs in women. Ongoing research has linked hormone-disrupting chemicals to negative effects on both. For instance, BPA can affect the neuroendocrine pathways that are crucial to reproductive health. Other suspects include phthalates, which are commonly used to boost flexibility in vinyl and plastic products. Please note that prolonged exposure to BPA during a woman’s reproductive years can compromise embryo implantation.
2. Developmental issues: Hormone-disrupting chemicals can interfere with the endocrine pathways needed for neurodevelopment. Sex steroids and thyroid hormones are some of the endocrine pathways that have been studied the most in relation to neurodevelopment. The significance of the thyroid hormone in signaling pre and post-natal brain development is well-known in the scientific community. A shortage of this hormone can lead to an impairment in psychomotor and cognition development.
3. Hormonal cancers: Cancer results from a complex interplay of a person’s environmental exposure, lifestyle choices, and genetic predisposition. In fact, researchers have proven that two-thirds of all cancers are linked environmentally in some way. Furthermore, certain jobs and careers are associated with an increased risk of hormonal cancer, particularly those with a high burden of chemical exposure. Examples of such jobs include those in mining, painting, paper manufacturing, fighting, and rubber industries. While at it, please note that the chemicals the US National Institutes of Health has listed as cancer-causing elements are also believed to be hormone-disrupting chemicals.
4. Metabolic disorders: HDC-related weight gain is related to much more than adding a few extra pounds. Chemicals alter how your body consumes food and how it stores energy, thus affecting people across several generations. To better understand this, you should note that metabolism works at a cellular level. For instance, the thyroid gland produces hormones that control the daily metabolism of your cells. The chemicals found in industrial waste and plastics can disrupt the workings of the thyroid gland, thus leading to metabolic disorders.
5. Obesity and diabetes: HGH is vital for proper fat distribution in the body. However, the presence of HDCs can affect HGH levels badly. Find where you can get hgh online prescription while suffering from HGH deficiency to help prevent obesity and diabetes.
6. Thyroid dysfunction: Hormone-disrupting chemicals can affect thyroid hormone metabolism, transport, and synthesis in various ways. Understanding the health risks of thyroidal HDCs has been challenging given that individuals may have numerous connected HDC exposures, and many chemicals are not yet well characterized.
7. Growth and development: In utero exposure to HDCs has been connected to preterm birth, low birth weight, and neurodevelopment issues. Examples of the latter include low IQ levels and other behavioral concerns.
Conclusion
Given that hormone-disrupting chemicals are all around us, it’s challenging but not impossible to avoid them. Dusting, cleaning, and vacuuming are ideal ways to eliminate some of the chemicals found in your electronics, furniture, and clothing.
Try to avoid plastic and swap out plastic food containers for stainless steel ones whenever possible. Knowing the effects of hormone-disrupting chemicals can help you find ways to avoid them and lower your risk of obesity, hormonal cancer, and metabolic disorders.
