Vol. 39–Exploring the Impact of Endocrine Disruptors on Health and Wellness

Quick Look 👀

1 oz of water to garden your health

1 Budding Tweet

2 Weeds to avoid

2 Websites to cultivate your garden

Random Musings

Reading Time: 5 minutes and 58 seconds

This week’s newsletter is brought to you by endocrine disruptors.

The concept of “endocrine disruptors” and their effects on human and wildlife health has been recognized for several decades.

So it’s not new.

But, can you name specific endocrine disruptors? or explain how it “disrupts” the endocrine system? where can I find regulations and accurate data about these things?

I had no clue, so I went ahead and did the digging for you. You’ll want to bookmark this for the future.

Action to water your health

The Endocrine System. It is insanely complex, one of the toughest blocks during my time in graduate school.

Let’s go over the basics.

The Endocrine Glands produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream, which act as chemical messengers that regulate a wide range of bodily functions.

• Pituitary gland

• Thyroid gland

• Parathyroid glands

• Adrenal glands

• Pancreas

• Testes (in males) and ovaries (in females)

• Pineal gland

• Thymus gland

Hormones. Act on target cells and organs throughout the body to influence processes such as growth and development, metabolism, sexual function, and stress response.

Let’s go over one example.

The pituitary gland produces and releases several hormones that regulate various bodily functions, including:

• Growth

• Reproduction

• Metabolism

One specific example is a hormone produced by the pituitary gland, growth hormone (GH), also known as somatotropin.

GH plays a crucial role in regulating growth and development in children and adolescents, as well as maintaining muscle and bone mass in adults.

When released into the bloodstream, GH travels to the liver where it stimulates the production of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 promotes cell division and proliferation, leading to increased bone and muscle growth.

However, too little or too much GH can have negative effects on the body. For example, a deficiency of GH can lead to stunted growth and development, while excessive GH can cause gigantism or acromegaly, both of which result in abnormal growth patterns and physical characteristics.

All this to say one error in the process can lead to catastrophic effects downstream.

So what are endocrine disruptors? As you can guess they are chemicals or substances that can interfere with the normal function of the endocrine system by mimicking or blocking the effects of hormones.

These substances can alter the production, release, transport, metabolism, or elimination of hormones, which can lead to a range of adverse effects on the body's organs and tissues.

Examples of Endocrine Disruptors.

• Bisphenol A (BPA): Used to make plastic products including food storage containers.

• Dioxins: Produced as a byproduct in herbicide production and paper bleaching, and released during waste burning and wildfires.

• Perchlorate: Found in drinking water and fireworks, and is a by-product of aerospace, weapon, and pharmaceutical industries.

• Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS): Used in industrial applications, such as firefighting foams and non-stick coatings.

• Phthalates: Used to make plastics more flexible, and found in some food packaging, cosmetics, children’s toys, and medical devices.

• Phytoestrogens: Naturally occurring substances in plants that have hormone-like activity, such as genistein and daidzein in soy products.

• Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDE): Used to make flame retardants for household products such as furniture foam and carpets.

• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB): Used in electrical equipment and hydraulic fluids, heat transfer fluids, lubricants, and plasticizers.

• Triclosan: May be found in some anti-microbial and personal care products.

Let's put this into context. “Endocrine disruptor chemicals exposure in the USA contributes to disease and dysfunction, with annual costs taking up more than 2% of the GDP [1] [2]”, in 2016. The GDP around that time was 19 trillion, so that would be ~ 380 billion. That’s insane!

International organizations from the World Health Organization (WHO) to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have taken a stand to improve policies worldwide.

Should I even care? Yes, The rise in endocrine-related diseases coincides with the surge in the production of chemicals, including those used in plastics, pesticides, and fire retardants. The global chemical industry has grown from USD$171 billion in 1970 to more than US $5 trillion in 2019, with sales expected to double by 2030.

Industrial and agricultural chemicals, such as PCBs, BPA, and phthalates, have been detected in human serum, fat, and umbilical cord blood, with PFAS now found in human fetuses [1].

But Association Does Not Mean Correlation! You might hear this argument about this data. The wealth of evidence from cell-based and animal studies over the past few decades has provided direct cause-and-effect links. It is not ethical to expose humans to toxicants to prove their impact on human diseases……but if they still don’t believe, they can be the first to try it out.

Plastics. Most plastic products are made from fossil fuels, specifically ethylene and propylene processed from petrochemicals. These are used to create long chains of polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP), as well as other types of plastics like polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Chemicals are then added to give the plastic specific properties. Plastics can be classified into seven groups based on their building blocks, and this classification allows for easier identification for consumers and recyclers.

Now you know what the little symbols mean.

If you want to know more about microplastics read Vol. 33.

But I Only Buy Biodegradable Plastics! One of the main issues with biodegradable plastics is that they are not significantly different from traditional plastics in terms of their chemical additives and properties.

There is no set time limit for biodegradable plastics to decompose, and if the conditions are not met, they can still end up contaminating landfills like regular plastics. While they can be made from renewable resources, such as wood and crops, there are still concerns about land and water use in their production, as well as toxic additives.

Bisphenol A (BPA). Is an endocrine disruptor and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of BPA in baby bottles and children's spill-proof cups [3].

Remember that several replacement bisphenol analogs do the same thing.

Action.

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are commonly found in plastics and can leach into our food, water, and the environment. EDCs have been shown to cause abnormal reproductive, metabolic, thyroid, immune, and neurological functions.

Here are some actionable steps that can be taken to avoid exposure to EDCs:

• Learn about common EDCs and where they're found. Some everyday products like old toys or flame-retardant couches might contain EDCs.

• Seek alternatives. Look for products that are labeled "BPA-free" or "phthalate-free". Some merchants may list a yes or no status for certain EDCs in their products.

• Read labels. Look for recycling symbols with numbers #1, #2, or #4 which means the product is free of BPA. Labels on cleaning supplies, facial washes, and detergents also indicate the presence or absence of some EDCs.

• Keep it fresh. Minimize consumption of processed foods as much as possible, and use filtered as opposed to bottled water.

• Watch out for leaching. Avoid storing canned or plastic-packaged foods in hot areas, like the trunk of a car on a summer day. Also, avoid microwaving or heating food in plastic containers.

• Reduce pesticide use. Try tactics like plugging holes under the sink to reduce pests and prevent the need for pesticides. For produce, wash fresh fruit and vegetables with tap water to remove most chemicals.

Lastly, look at the “links between EDCs and major disease” picture, they could be causing your disease. Or at the very least impacting it!

Level up further, readings:

NIH Introduction to the Endocrine System

PLASTICS, EDCs & HEALTH A GUIDE FOR PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATIONS AND POLICY-MAKERS ON ENDOCRINE DISRUPTING CHEMICALS & PLASTICS

NIH Endocrine Disruptors 

Plastic, EDCs & Health: Authoritation Guide

Budding Tweet

Bottled water is easy, convenient, cheap (sometimes), and readily available. This study is a great reminder of how bottled water adversely affects human health by interfering with hormone signaling.

Specifically, this study found both antiestrogenic and antiandrogenic compounds in the majority of bottled water products tested. Antiestrogenic refers to the ability of a substance to block or reduce the effects of estrogen, a hormone that plays a crucial role in many physiological processes in the human body, including sexual development and reproductive function. Antiandrogenic same thing but for androgens.

So if you drink bottled water daily and don’t use a refillable glass water bottle or BPA-free plastic water bottle, you’re slowly killing yourself.

Weeds to avoid

1️⃣ Not wearing sunscreen. But there are no clouds! Clouds may filter out some of the sunlight, but they do not block all of the harmful UV rays that can damage your skin. Up to 80% of the sun's UV rays can penetrate through clouds. I’m just talking to myself here.

2️⃣ Not reflecting on why you feel a certain way, or NOT telling your significant other why you’re acting that way. How else are they supposed to know it has nothing to do with the situation? Part of my profession in medicine is helping save lives but it’s impossible to save everyone. Whether I know it or not it changes my mood for the rest of the day.

Websites to cultivate your garden

Roast my landing pages: A 15-minute, private video, packed with personalized, easy-to-implement advice that will improve your landing page conversion. Sent to you within 48 hours.

You can watch the example video and I think they do excellent work. If you have a company or side project might be worth trying it out.

Mentionitis: Chrome is an extension that provides in-page searching, link bookmarking, and social media link previews. Going to try it out this month and see if it’s worth it.

Random Musings

1. Gym bros are eating dog food. Please don’t. I don’t need to explain the nutritional differences. How is this a thing?

2. Have you ever seen a silica packet (gel) or silica added to a product? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified silica as "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS) when used in food, including dietary supplements. Generally, silica is used as an anti-caking agent to prevent clumping of the powder, which can occur when moisture is present. Additionally, silica can improve the mixability of the powder, making it easier to dissolve in water or other liquids.

3. This trapdoor spider is massive and endemic to Australia. But don’t worry they are not venous.

4. The "Liquid Tree" is a sustainable and innovative solution to bring more greenery to urban areas. Designed by a Spanish company called Paisajismo Urbano, the Liquid Tree is a self-sustaining system that can be installed onto walls and buildings. The system uses rainwater, wastewater, and dew to irrigate a hydroponic vertical garden. The Liquid Tree can provide a green space in urban areas where there may be limited space for traditional parks and gardens. Each unit can support up to 20 different plant species and can cover an area of up to 200 square meters of lawn.

5. Had some awesome egg tacos for lunch. They used cheese as the inner crust giving the tortilla (handmade of course) a crunch. This with the soft eggs, poblano, salsa, and other happenings was great. If you’re in the Seattle area, check out @goodmorning.tacos.

You're an awesome human

Martin, CEO of braincrumbss

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