7/15/2020
When living our every day lives and going about our daily activities, we may not be paying too much attention to how often we come in contact with common endocrine disruptors. Our actions and the things around us become so embedded into our “norm” that we may not even understand they can be causing harm to our bodies.
I want to discuss the Endocrine system so we can have a better understanding of what we are trying to preserve. “The Endocrine System is the body’s exquisitely balanced system of glands, organs and hormones that regulate such vital functions as body growth, response to stress, sexual development, production of insulin and utilization of glucose, metabolism, neurodevelopment, intelligence, behavior, sleep patterns, blood pressure, and the ability to reproduce” (endocrine disruption 2019). It is safe to say that the endocrine system is an extremely important system for our body and its everyday function. Knowing the important value that it holds, you might be wondering what could be disrupting your endocrine system’s opportunity for optimum functionality.
Every day we consume food, we use topical products on our bodies, and we are surrounded by nature in our homes and communities. How can we tell if small things we use or are around daily can actually be causing harm to our endocrine system? These endocrine disruptor chemicals might not always be simple to see or understand. Some Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals “act like hormone mimics and trick our body into thinking that they are hormones” and others can “ block the natural hormones from doing their job” (Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals). They also can “increase or decrease the levels of hormones in our blood by affecting how they are made, broken down, or stored in our body” (Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals). They can even “change how sensitive our bodies are to different hormones” (Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals). Endocrine Disruptor Chemicals have the ability to disrupt many different hormones throughout our bodies, which is why the presence of these chemicals in our lives, even in small doses, are posing a bigger threat to our bodies safety.
Starting with something topically used every day would be Deodorant. We start using deodorant and fragrances when we hit that pubescent stage of life. Many people do not even think to look at ingredients of their topical “beauty” type products like deodorant. Take a gander at yours and see if it contains parabens, aluminum, triclosan, phthalates or fragrance. Each of these listed chemicals are Endocrine Disruptors. Parabens can interfere with “the way your body produces and regulates estrogen and other hormones” (Heid 2016). Aluminum can “promote the growth of tumors or cancer cells” (Heid 2016). Triclosan is usually added to products to help prevent bacterial contamination. The use of Triclosan can interfere with “your microbiome or the day-today operations of your genes” (Heid 2016). Phthalates are used to help deodorant stick to your skin but they can interfere with your “androgen function, or the way your body produces and uses the hormone testosterone” (Heid 2016). Fragrance being listed in ingredients makes it hard to really know what is inside and what chemicals are actually being used. Fragrance can cause “allergic reaction” to the skin (Heid 2016).
After looking at your deodorant and possibly seeing one or multiple of these endocrine disrupting chemicals listed, you might be wondering what to do to help. Ditching your deodorant might be the best answer but that probably isn’t a true reality for your every day life. When shopping for deodorant look at the ingredients list and make sure these chemicals are not listed. That will be a helpful way to try to eliminate endocrine disrupting chemicals to enter your blood stream through your under arms every day. As a consumer you can help change the industry because “the more people spend their money on products that don’t contain these chemicals, the more manufacturers will move away from using them” (Heid 2016).
Now that you have made a switch that can help in a topical manner, lets look at what you could possibly be ingesting. Take the ingredient “Natural Flavors” that is so commonly written on ingredient lists for many categories of food items. This is something companies are including when trying to market products as being more organic and trying to look unprocessed. Shoppers see the word “natural” and think that makes this product healthy or chemical free. That isn’t necessarily true. The “FDA hasn’t defined the term, companies can use it to refer to pretty much anything derived from a plant or animal. Natural Flavors can also include a variety of chemical additive such as preservatives. The FDA doesn’t require companies to disclose what addition chemicals in particular the item contains” (Orlando 2020). Your safest bet to not ingest too many food items that have natural flavors is to read your labels and stick to more whole foods. Visiting your local farmers markets is a great way to support your local community, small businesses and to find more control in knowing what is inside and on top of your food.
Now that you are aware of hidden endocrine disruptor chemicals that can slide under the rug within our food industry, what about other chemicals that may directly effect your children when playing outside? Pesticides are gaining more public knowledge and the dangers they posses to our health. “The World Health Organization has reported that roughly three million pesticide poisonings occur annually, resulting in 220,000 deaths world wide. In some cases it has been suggested that disease such as cancer, allergies, neurological disorders and reproductive disorders may be connected to pesticide exposure (Mnif et al 2011). Pesticides being used to spray your neighborhood plants and greenery could be causing potential health hazards to your developing family. A great way to try to help eliminate the use of pesticides in your area is to start calling companies that are spraying in your neighborhoods. Start asking questions about what chemicals are actually in their pesticides. There are many movements for this going on and there is a lot of research pushing for a more organic way to help with pesticides that would not be harmful to our health. The best way to be a part of this change is to be involved and informed in your community and try to make the change for a more environmentally safe and human friendly way of pesticides.
We have the choice every day of what we choose to put on out bodies, inside our bodies or around our bodies. The best way to help support a healthy endocrine system and to fight the disruptors is to be informed. Ask questions and do our research on chemicals that are being used that may be causing harm to your health. With our endocrine system playing such a large role in our overall bodily function it is our responsibility to try to support it to have it be able to thrive at the optimum level.
References:
Endocrine Disruption. (n.d.). Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://endocrinedisruption.org/interactive-tools/endocrine-basics
Heid, M. (2016, July 05). 5 Things Wrong With Your Deodorant. Retrieved July 13, 2020, from https://time.com/4394051/deodorant-antiperspirant-toxic/
Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals EDCs. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2020, from https://www.hormone.org/your-health-and-hormones/endocrine-disrupting-chemicals-edcs
Orlando, A. (2020, January 04). What Are 'Natural Flavors'? Retrieved July 11, 2020, from https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/what-are-natural-flavors
Mnif, W, Hassine, A, Bouaziz, A, Bartegi, A., Thomas, O & Roig, B. (2011, June). Effect of endocrine disruptor pesticides: A review. Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3138025/
Comments