If you’ve been reading Healing Gourmet for a while, you know we often talk about “obesogens”…
These are chemical compounds that mimic your own hormones. These chemicals can hijack your metabolism and control the systems your body uses to regulate weight, how calories are used and how much fat you store.
As the name implies, obesogens:
- Encourage your body to store fat and re-program cells to become fat cells
- Promote insulin resistance, causing the pancreas to pump more of this "fat storage hormone"
- Prevent release of the appetite-reducing hormone leptin, shutting off the "I'm full" signal
Numerous animal and test tube studies demonstrate the pound-packing ability of these compounds.
And the results are not just relegated to the laboratory…
In a recent human trial, conducted by researcher Steven Perrine, study participants lost an average of 15 pounds over two weeks – simply by eliminating obesogens!
This was confirmed by a recent conversation I had…
I was talking with a friend, Chris, who is a personal trainer. He specializes in advanced training for athletes. Chris told me he requires the athletes he trains to look at the ingredients in their face and body products (and eliminate those listed as risks by the Environmental Working Group).
He said this step alone proved significant changes in his female athletes, especially those who struggle with cellulite (despite a rigorous workout schedule). These athletes were already “eating clean” – but they were still lathering their skin with hormone-mimicking chemicals.
The skin is your body’s largest organ. Everything you spread on it is absorbed into your bloodstream (bypassing detoxification in the liver). And if you’re under the impression that “a little won’t hurt you,” I have some startling news…
Hormones are extremely potent, with the ability to exert powerful effects in amounts as small as a trillionth of a gram! So, don’t underestimate the effects of applying chemicals to your body…
Exposure to chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products can also lead to fertility problems, hair loss, autoimmune disease and cancer!
I recommend the personal and body care products you use contain 100 percent natural “edible” ingredients. Of course, that doesn’t mean you’re going to eat these products…
But considering that everything which goes on your skin enters your body, the ingredients should not function as chemical versions of your own hormones.
What REALLY matters is not just how well your products work…
But what are the ingredients listed on the back?
The ideal solution is to find products that work as well (or better!) than anything else on the market… with a list of ingredients that are safe and health promoting.
Thankfully, due to consumer awareness and growing demand, more and more of these products are becoming available.
Liana spent the last few years developing a line of effective skincare products, free of potentially hazardous chemicals and full of nourishing ingredients like coconut, aloe vera, berry extracts, cucumber, and papaya.
If you’re looking for natural skincare products that really work, learn more about the products she’s created…
To Your Health,
Kelley
REFERENCES
Grün F. Obesogens. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010 Oct;17(5):453-9.
Schnoor JL. Obesogens, the exposome, and ES&T. Environ Sci Technol. 2011 Apr 1;45(7):2517. Epub 2011 Mar 11.
Grün F, Blumberg B. Endocrine disrupters as obesogens. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2009 May 25;304(1-2):19-29. Epub 2009 Mar 9.
Pamela M. Hurley, Richard N. Hill, and Rick J. Whiting. Mode of Carcinogenic Action of Pesticides Inducing Thyroid Follicular Cell Tumors in Rodents. Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 106, Number 8, August 1998
Lee, D-H, I-K Lee, K Song, M Steffes, W Toscano, BA Baker, and DR Jacobs. 2006. A Strong Dose-Response Relation Between Serum Concentrations of Persistent Organic Pollutants and Diabetes. Results from the National Health and Examination Survey 1999-2002. Diabetes Care 29:1638-1644.
