Could Toxins Be Affecting Your Weight Loss

There is a lot to consider when it comes to weight loss such as diet, exercise, alcohol, over-eating, hormones, thyroid, stress/adrenals, gut bacteria to name a few. But, have you ever considered that your toxic load could be affecting your weight loss goals? Many toxins in the environment, from make-up, skin-care products, cleaning products are being increasingly understood to affect overall health and contribute to weight gain. Minimizing exposure to toxins is a worthwhile strategy for supporting your health and your weight loss goals.

Obesogens: Toxins that can increase weight

The term ‘obesogen’ is used to describe a group of endocrine (or hormone) disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that are implicated in weight gain. There is a long list of them, however, you may be familiar with two of them, bisphenol A (BPA), or phthalates – both of which are considered persistent organic pollutants or ‘POPs’ because they ‘persist’ in the environment making avoiding exposure difficult.

Obesogens may contribute to weight gain and increase the risk of metabolic disorders (e.g. type 2 diabetes). Unfortunately, these chemicals are everywhere! Common sources include:

• Household products, e.g. cleaning products, air fresheners;

• Personal care products, e.g. perfume, cosmetics, hair and body products;

• Pesticides

• Herbicides

• Industrial chemicals

How Toxins Can Lead to Weight Gain

Obesogens can lead to weight gain in a number of ways. These include altering your metabolism (also known as your basal metabolic rate), increasing the number and size of fat cells, and disrupting your ability to control appetite, how satisfied (or not) you feel after a meal, and influencing your food preferences.

Taking Positive Steps

While it’s virtually impossible to avoid obesogens, you can take positive action to minimise exposure in your home, thereby supporting your metabolic health. I’ll write another blog about simple strategies to help you reduce toxin exposure in your environment. Detoxification can also help cleanse your body of toxins. Detoxification doesn’t have to be a juice cleanse, or low calorie diet or a bunch of harsh supplement. It can be done naturally through diet and lifestyle changes and if you want to take things a step further I would recommend a couple of supportive natural supplements that are gentle on the body, but will really get in there and do the deep clean up work. I do recommend talking to a qualified healthcare practitioner about whether a detox may be appropriate for you for ongoing weight management, or if you have a history of being exposed to a range of toxins, or currently work in a role where you are exposed to toxins regularly it might benefit you getting support on this.