How To Avoid Endocrine Disruptors

Florida, 12 March 2018: Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that interfere with the endocrine — or hormone — system. More than 150 studies have linked endocrine-disrupting chemicals to a long list of health problems, including heart disease, obesity, breast and prostate cancer, diabetes, infertility, and the feminization of males.
 
Even small amounts of these compounds can be harmful, and they are ubiquitous in daily life. Two of the most prevalent endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates.
 
BPA is found in plastic bottles, canned foods, and water supply pipes, where it leaches into liquids. It is also found in products as widespread and diverse as cash register receipts, compact discs, and contact lenses, where it seeps into skin. Phthalates are found in plastics, cosmetics, flame retardants, and pesticides.
 
Avoiding these life-changing chemicals is difficult, but not impossible, says Dr. Russell Blaylock. "It's essential to avoid them, especially pesticides, herbicides and fungicides as well as plastics that contain BPH and phthalates," he tells Newsmax Health.  
 
• Eat organic produce when possible. If not available or if your budget won't allow it, choose from the Environmental Working Groups list to choose products with the least amount of chemical residue (https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/clean_fifteen_list.php#.Wockpn9JmUk)
 
• Shun soy. "Soy products are the No. 1 endocrine disrupters in our environment and food supply," says Blaylock, author of The Blaylock Wellness Report. "There is compelling evidence that feeding soy products during the period of brain development disrupts the normal sexual differentiation of males and female infants, resulting in delayed onset of sexual maturation and most importantly, alters the complex behavioral development that differentiates males and females — hence the incredible population growth of 'soy boys.'"
 
• Avoid buying plastic containers with the recycling labels No.3, No.7, or PC (polycarbonate) on the bottom. Instead, look for containers labeled No. 1, No. 2, No.4 and No.5. Cloudy or soft containers don't contain BPA.
 
• Buy powdered baby formula instead of liquid. If you do choose liquid formulas, pick only those in glass bottles. Also, don't try to lose weight while breastfeeding because disruptors could be stored in your body fat and released in milk.
 
• Look for "BPA-free" labels on food products, and purchase foods packaged in glass or cartons instead of cans, especially soups and tomato-based products. If you must buy canned, rinse thoroughly before using if possible. Check the liners of cans. If it's white, it contains BPA. If it's a yellowish, reddish, copper, or pinkish color, it's BPA-free. Even foods labeled "organic" may be in cans that contain BPA.
 
• Clean your home with simple products, such as hard soap, vinegar, and sodium bicarbonate.
 
• Use natural products on your lawn. "Round-Up is an endocrine disrupter and in today's world it has contaminated virtually everything," says Blaylock, "It is in the soil, the air, ground water, foods, and has even been detected in vaccines."
 
• Use glass, stainless steel, or porcelain containers to heat food. Avoid non-stick pans. Don't heat plastic containers, and always wash them by hand. Toss them in the garbage if they are scratched or cracked. 
 
• Eat wild-caught fish. Farmed fish often contain pesticides and dioxins as well as antibiotics.
 
A new study found that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are linked to the frustration many dieters face when they regain much of the weight they lost. Women who had the highest levels of chemicals in their blood were the most vulnerable to regaining lost weight.
 
But a study reported in the Journal of Women's Health offers dieters hope. It found that avoiding chemicals can spur weight loss. Researchers found that women who avoided BPA for three weeks had large reductions in the amount of the chemical in their urine. In addition, they showed significant weight loss.  Women in the control group who did not avoid BPA had substantial increases in both urinary BPA levels and weight gain. Newsmax