The average woman uses 12 different beauty products every day — cleansers, conditioners, hair dyes, fragrances, skin care products, nail varnish, soaps and body wash. Are you aware of what chemicals you are absorbing through your skin? Would you know what to look out for in your labels? Do you know what effect these chemicals may be having in your body? Read on for more
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Phthalates are ubiquitous environmental contaminants, massively used in industry as plasticisers and additives in cosmetics, which may impair the human endocrine system inducing fertility problems, respiratory diseases, obesity, and neuropsychological disorders. In fact, a 2018 study [1] showed that phthalate exposure may be related to statistically significant impact on liver enzymes as well as increased BMI, increased triglycerides and decreased HDL cholesterol levels - all markers which are associated with indicators of cardio-metabolic risk and insulin resistance. No small wonder these chemicals can be referred to as 'obesogens' (promoting obesity, even in children).
But it is not just obesity that can be linked to exposure to environmental toxins. Many of these chemicals have oestrogenic activity, known as 'xenoestrogens'. These can contribute to a toxic load in your body, leading to too much oestrogen that is linked to certain types of cancers and female hormone problems. In fact, a 2019 study [2] concludes that exposure to these xenoestrogens may be a contributing factor to early age of menarche in our young girls.
Once we have looked at your toxic exposure, we then want to work on how to support your liver and anti-oxidant pathways to help you eliminate these endocrine disruptors. One of my preferred therapeutics in this area is sulforaphane [3]. This is a compound derived from broccoli sprouts which has been extensively studied to activate cellular anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant pathways and help support DNA and cells from damage.
Exposure to toxins has been associated with mast cell activation, fatigue, ADHD, cancer and much more. Contact me if you would like advice on looking at this for your health.
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[1] Milošević, N., Milić, N., Živanović Bosić, D. et al. Potential influence of the phthalates on normal liver function and cardiometabolic risk in males. Environ Monit Assess 190, 17 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-6398-0
[2] Lee JE, Jung HW, Lee YJ, Lee YA. Early-life exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and pubertal development in girls. Ann Pediatr Endocrinol Metab. 2019 Jun;24(2):78-91. doi: 10.6065/apem.2019.24.2.78. Epub 2019 Jun 30. PMID: 31261471; PMCID: PMC6603611
[3] Dinkova-Kostova AT, Fahey JW, Kostov RV, Kensler TW. KEAP1 and Done? Targeting the NRF2 Pathway with Sulforaphane. Trends Food Sci Technol. 2017 Nov;69(Pt B):257-269. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2017.02.002. Epub 2017 Feb 16. PMID: 29242678; PMCID: PMC5725197
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