I’ve just returned from presenting at the British Society of Lifestyle Medicine conference in the UK. Sitting in on a session by Dr Darota Komar, who is a specialist in Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, was a reminder about how harmful these can be to the functioning of the HPA-Thyroid Axis.
Her presentation was a fascinating insight into how we can help our clients to become more conscious of this aspect of their lifestyle change.
According to the Endocrine Society, there are nearly 85,000 human-made chemicals in the world, found in plastics, personal care products, textiles, detergents, flame retardants, foods and other ubiquitous products.
At least 1,000 or more of those could be endocrine disruptors, based on their unique properties and are recognised and called EDCs or Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals.
The main ones that our clients need to be aware of are:
- Atrazine is one of the most commonly applied herbicides in the world, often used to control weeds in corn, sorghum, and sugarcane crops.
- Bisphenol A (BPA) is used to make polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. It is used in manufacturing, food packaging, toys, and other applications. BPA resins may be found in the lining of some canned foods and beverages.
- Dioxins are a byproduct of certain manufacturing processes, such as herbicide production and paper bleaching.
- Phthalates are a large group of compounds used as liquid plasticizers. They are found in hundreds of products including some food packaging, cosmetics, fragrances, children’s toys, and medical device tubing.
- Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring substances with hormone-like activity found in some plants; they may have a similar effect to oestrogen produced by the body. Soy foods, for example, contain phytoestrogens.
- Triclosan is an ingredient that was previously added to some antimicrobial and personal care products, like liquid body wash and soaps.
Even low doses of endocrine-disrupting chemicals may be unsafe. The body’s normal endocrine functioning involves very small changes in hormone levels, yet we know even these small changes can cause significant developmental and biological effects.
This observation leads scientists to think that endocrine-disrupting chemical exposures, even at low amounts, can alter the body’s sensitive systems and lead to health problems. This has also been discovered with the increased knowledge available through epigenetics research.
It also seems that Bisphenol-A (BPA) is one of the more troublesome compounds that mimics oestrogen. It is known as a xeno-oestrogen, because it changes our oestrogen response.
Alarmingly, exposure to BPA in utero has been linked to female reproductive disorders, including endometrial hyperplasia and breast cancer.
Xeno-oestrogens may cause Epigenetic Changes to the Mitochondria
Changes in oestrogen response caused by EDCs are accompanied by altered methylation in mitochondria. This leads to dysfunctional mitochondria and worsening symptoms for women in their menopause transition.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals preferentially affect oestrogen receptor-α (ERα)-binding genes.
Xenoestrogens have extremely high lipid (fat) solubility and are structurally similar to natural endogenous oestrogens. They can bind to estrogen receptors (ERs) -alpha (ER-α) and -beta (ER-β). [Reddy et al, 2022]
These ERα are mainly in the mammary gland, uterus, ovary, bone, prostate (stroma cells), liver, and adipose tissue. By contrast, ERβ is found mainly in the prostate (epithelium), bladder, ovary (granulosa cells), colon, adipose tissue, brain, and immune system.
One of the main concerns presented in her research was the epigenetic changes that arise from early-life exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals. It seems that early life xenoestrogen exposure likely contributes to increased risk of oestrogen-related disease in adults, including breast cancer and endometriosis. (Jorgensen et al, 2016).
What actions do women need to take to reduce exposure to EDCs?
There were numerous recommendations from Dr Komar during her presentation, but the main ones featured based on recommendations by the Health and Environmental Alliance (HEAL) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) are as follows:
- Ventilate the home for a minimum of 10 minutes, twice a day.
- Wash all new clothes and kitchen equipment before use.
- Dust regularly using a damp cloth.
- Consume organic products as much as possible.
- Don’t heat food in the microwave using plastic containers.
- Avoid heating foods in non-stick pans and pots.
- Don’t eat take-out food from coated cardboard or plastic containers.
- Avoid using air-fresheners or air-fragrances.
- Avoid using cosmetics, shampoo, nail polish and other personal products that are not labelled as EDC-friendly.
- Sweating through exercise helps to remove the toxins from EDCs.
This is such important information, and I wish that I had known about these in earlier years, especially as drinking from plastic bottles has emerged in sports nutrition over the years and many women have been drinking from plastic for years!
So many women are taking HRT which also attaches to both alpha and beta receptors, but are they removing their exposure to EDCs, so the HRT can be more effective?
That’s a good question to perhaps ask them don’t you think?
I hope you can join me on any of the MyMT™ Education certified CPD courses, or if you are looking at restoring your own symptoms or weight, then explore the MyMT™ Circuit Breaker or Transform Me programmes. No matter which course you choose, it will be my privilege to support you.
References:
Jorgensen EM, Alderman MH 3rd, Taylor HS. Preferential epigenetic programming of estrogen response after in utero xenoestrogen (bisphenol-A) exposure. FASEB J. 2016 Sep;30(9):3194-201.
Reddy V, McCarthy M, Raval AP. Xenoestrogens impact brain estrogen receptor signaling during the female lifespan: A precursor to neurological disease? Neurobiol Dis. 2022 Feb;163:105596. doi: 10.1016/j.nbd.2021.105596. Epub 2021 Dec 20.
