Obesogens: A new threat to Public Health?

Abstract

The number of overweight and obese individuals has increased at an alarming rate in recent decades. The imbalance of energy as a result of a high caloric intake and a low energy expenditure does not explain this increase alone, so other behavioral, genetic and environmental factors must be playing an important role. The endocrine disruption hypothesis suggests that human exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) -which act as obesogens- interferes inappropriately with lipid metabolism and adipogenesis, among other mechanisms, thus promoting obesity and overweightness. Some obesogens have already been identified, but the catalogue of chemical residues that might contribute to this environmental hypothesis has not been completed. The identification of chemicals that are directly related to the development of obesity and its metabolic complications would contribute to establish and/or improve the recommendations and requirements of the public and private sectors on food and consumer good safety and, ultimately, on public health policies.