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September 5, 2008 11:34:12 PM CDT

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Why Am I Fat? One Word for You: Plastics

Posted Jan 14, 08 1:30 PM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Early exposure to chemicals found in common plastics could predispose a person to obesity, scientists suggest. Studies have shown that animals fed the chemicals, called endocrine disrupters, are fatter later in life than those who were not, the Boston Globe reports. Diet, exercise, and genetics are key factors, but "chemicals can play a role," says one scientist.

Endocrine disrupters act like hormones and help shape how a body makes and stores fat. Traces of one, Bisphenol A, which is found in baby bottles and water bottles, showed up in 93% of the US population in a recent study. It's especially problematic "on the front end of one's life where the rest of your life's physiology is being programmed," says a scientist.

Source Boston Globe

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One chemical scientists are concerned about, bisphenol A, can be found in most baby bottles. (NYC25109)   (Magnum Photos)
Some new studies have raised the possibility that prenatal exposure to chemicals found in plastics can predispose people to a lifetime of obesity. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)   (Associated Press)
Bruce Blumberg has coined the term "obesogens" for the possibly fattening chemicals. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)   (Associated Press)
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health  • obesity  • genetics  • obesity epidemic  • plastic  • fat  • baby bottle  • chemicals and obesity


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