The Sneaky Culprit Preventing Weight Loss

Nonstick pots and pans are designed to make cooking easier and cleaning up a breeze. If you’ve struggled to lose weight no matter what type of diet you’ve tried, the cookware you’re using could be to blame! Researchers from Harvard University recently conducted a study, published in the scientific journal PLOS Medicine, showing how nonstick cookware is linked to weight gain. They found people with the highest levels of perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), gained the most weight. PFAS are chemicals used to make products more stain-resistant, waterproof, or nonstick. Findings from this study showed people with higher levels of PFAS in their bloodstream also have a lower resting metabolic rate and burn fewer calories throughout the day. PFAS have also been associated with the prevalence of osteoporosis in women and thyroid dysfunction.

In the United States, the percentage of children and adolescents affected by obesity has more than tripled since the 1970s.1 While many experts blame this increase on a poor diet and lack of exercise, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and the Environmental Protection Agency, being in contact with obesogens in early childhood can lead to unhealthy, excessive weight gain. Additionally, researchers at the University of Michigan, University of California–Berkeley, and Columbia University2 report that 7- to 9-year-old children exposed to higher levels of bisphenol A (BPA), a common food packaging ingredient, increased their percentage of body fat.

Traditionally used worldwide in plastics for food and drink storage, BPA mimics estrogen and has been associated with impaired reproductive function. It’s also an obesogen. A 2012 study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that BPA causes a biochemical cascade within fat cells that increases inflammation and promotes fat-cell growth5. BPA is used to make microwave popcorn bags, lids of some glass jars of pickles, jellies, salsa, baby food, and more, along with many coffee cans, cooking oil tins, and soda cans. They are also found in thermal paper items including receipts, event and cinema tickets, ATM receipts, and airline tickets.

Also called "plasticizers," phthalates are a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break. These obesogens are found in dairy products due to the plastic tubing used to milk cows. You’ll also find them in meats, tap water that’s been tainted by industrial waste, and in the pesticides sprayed on conventional fruits and vegetables. They can show up in shampoo, hair spray, deodorant, nail polish, insect repellent, and even your shower curtains.

To avoid BPA and phthalates, you can search the Environmental Working Group’s database to check out what products contain these obesogens. Their searchable database gives you access to 16,000 processed foods and drinks that are packaged in materials containing phthalates and BPA. They also have an extensive list of chemical-free skin care products. When you’re out shopping, always look for products labeled "BPA-free," and stay clear of plastic containers with the number 3, 6, or 7 on the bottom. Instead, look for the numbers 2, 4, or 5 recycle code on them, which means they are BPA- and phthalate-free. Another proactive step you can take is to buy eco-friendly alternatives to plastic bottles for hot or cold liquids.

Thanks to pesky bugs that enjoy eating crops, many farmers spray pesticides on them to repel the insects. Weeds are another constant struggle for farmers, so it’s herbicides to the rescue! While adding these may solve their dilemma, it exposes consumers to some potentially toxic chemicals. Herbicides can disrupt normal cellular mitochondrial function and have been shown to cause insulin resistance in animals. Pesticides are linked to obesity, diabetes, and other morbidities. Department of Agriculture data shows that the average American is exposed to 10 or more pesticides every day, via diet and drinking water. Ninety percent of these are endocrine disrupters, which have been linked to obesity.

There’s an old saying: "You are what you eat." While this is true, you are also what your meat eats. This includes the estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone that’s being used to increase the weight of cattle. When you eat the cattle, these same substances can also increase your weight! A study in the International Journal of Obesity from researchers at 10 different universities, including Yale University School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins University, found that the use of steroid hormones in meat production and on conventional dairy farms could be contributing to obesity.

Then there are the antibiotics used in chicken and farmed-raised fish, to help them fight off infection. These antibiotics also aid in fattening up fish and chicken and can do the same when humans eat them, which is why antibiotics are considered obesogens.

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is a surfactant used in nonstick cookware, like Teflon. PFOA has been identified in bodies of water and in a variety of land and water animals6. PFOA has also been detected in the blood of more than 98 percent of the general U.S. population. This chemical is considered an obesogen because it can cause an endocrine dysfunction that has been linked to obesity7. Other negative effects of PFOA have been documented including thyroid disease, kidney disease, and various cancers.

To reduce your exposure to PFOA, throw away all your pots and pans that are coated with a nonstick material. Purifying your tap water through distillation or reverse osmosis before drinking it will also minimize your exposure to this obesogen.

It’s not necessarily food itself, but how it’s grown, harvested, stored, and cooked that has become the catalyst to the growing obesity epidemic. Being more proactive, reading labels, and learning where your food comes from are prudent approaches to safeguarding your well-being and FINALLY losing those unwanted pounds.