Plastics Can make You To Become Fat on HWN INSIGHTS

The same plastic chemical found in vinyl flooring, packaging and tablecloths can also be found in your food, scientists revealed.

And, that chemical can cause you to pile on the pounds, they warned.

People are often exposed to phthalates – a group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible and harder to break – through food packaging.

A study from Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research in Germany found that when such ‘plasticisers’ enter the body, they can affect a person’s hormone system.

That can alter a person’s metabolic processes and cause them to gain weight – especially for women, researchers warned.

Dr Martin von Bergen, of Helmholtz, said: ‘Correlations between increased phthalate concentrations in the human body and the development of overweight have already been proven in epidemiological studies and should be analysed in more detail.’

One in two adults in Germany is overweight, the study reported.

Furthermore, as many as 15 per cent of German children and teenagers are overweight, as well.

Dr von Bergen said: The figures are alarming.

Because every kilo over the ideal weight increases the medical risk of cardiovascular disease, joint damage, chronic inflammation and cancer and the number of overweight people is constantly increasing all over the world.

Excess weight gain has been linked to bad dietary habits, a lack of exercise and genetic factors.

The study said certain environmental pollutants – including phthalate – could be partly responsible, as well.

Phthalates are most commonly transferred from the food packaging of fatty products – such as cheese or sausage – to the body.

Dr von Bergen said: ‘We currently know very little about how exactly phthalates have an effect within the body and how they can influence body weight – we intended to evaluate this in our study.’

The scientists found that phthalates can interfere with metabolism and pave the way for weight gain.

A previous study found that mice exposed to phthalates in their drinking water gained a substantial amount of weight – particularly in female animals.

Dr von Bergen said: ‘It is evident that phthalates seriously interfere with the hormone balance.

The give rise to significant changes, e.g. weight gain, even in low concentrations.

The study focused on defining the metabolic products in the mice’s blood.

Scientists determined that the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the blood rose – and that glucose metabolism was disrupted – under the influence of phthalates.

The composition of blood receptors also changed, which may have an effect on metabolism.

Dr von Bergen said: ‘Some metabolic products that are formed by adipose tissue also act as messengers and control functions in other organs.

However, there is no conclusive clarification of how the various effects of phthalates on metabolism influence each other and ultimately lead to weight gain.

The team will continue to research the phlatates influence on metabolism.

Dr von Bergen said: ‘Our aim is to conduct solid basic research so that our results can then help the authorities responsible for assessing the risk of chemicals in Germany at European level to perform their evaluations.’

Source: PLOS one, DWN Africa.