Endocrine Disruptors
A brief introduction:
Endocrine disruptors (EDCs) are chemical substances that can interfere with the endocrine system (a complex network of glands and hormones that regulate various bodily functions, including growth, development, metabolism, and reproduction.) The Endocrine Society first published its Scientific Statement on EDCs in 2009 because there was sufficient evidence that EDCs posed a public health risk. A second statement followed in 2015 outlined how EDCs are linked to diseases and conditions— cancer, early puberty in young girls, obesity and diabetes, male and female reproductive disorders, and neurodevelopmental effects— There is now a unified call across many disciplines to elucidate the dangers of these chemicals on population and environmental health.
EDCs are defined by the endocrine society as “a non-natural chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that interferes with any aspect of hormone action.” They achieve this action by mimicking or blocking the action of natural hormones and, in some instances, leave permanent epigenetic changes that can affect generations. People of all age groups are vulnerable to the toxicity of EDCs because “The body’s endocrine systems are not static: throughout our lives, hormone release and levels go up and down in response to the needs of the body and to adapt to the environment. Any and all of these processes can be disrupted by EDCs.”
Exposure to EDCs is influenced by the external environment (living near high pesticide use areas, mining, fossil fuel extraction), the internal environment (household chemicals, flame retardants on furniture,) and lifestyle. Chemtrust.org, whose primary aim is to prevent hazardous chemicals from causing long-term damage to wildlife or humans, has a well-organized website with a lot of educational material and recommendations on how to avoid these chemicals in everyday life.
The discussion around EDCs aligns with my endocrine background and interest in lifestyle medicine since EDCs have been linked to altered susceptibility to obesity, diabetes, and related metabolic disorders, including metabolic syndrome.
Nutrition is a significant component of our lifestyle, and food consumption can be a source of EDC exposure. We can minimize our exposure by following a whole-food diet that avoids or reduces the use of plastic bottles, plastic food wraps, takeaway and fast-food containers, packaging with greaseproof lining, and canned foods.
We will discuss specific EDCs individually in subsequent articles. In the meantime, since EDCs can be so ubiquitous, below are a few apps that help identify harmful products in foods and personal use products.