Chemically speaking, the world we’re living in is something of a minefield. Toxic man-made chemicals are everywhere, in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the indoor and outdoor environments we inhabit. They are so pervasive that it’s essential that you protect yourself from the onslaught, minimize your exposure and steer clear of as many of them as you possibly can. Why make the effort? Because the volume of toxic chemicals that has become a ‘normal’ feature of modern life is anything but – they’re laying siege to our bodies, and particularly to our metabolic health, making millions of us fatter and sicker than any generation that’s gone before.

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How and why are they making us fat and sick? Here’s a topline on how toxins are triggering so much metabolic dysfunction and consequently shortening lifespans – plus a few thoughts on how to reduce the volume of incoming toxins so they’re a lot less likely to get the better of you:

The link between chemical exposure and life-shortening obesity.

It’s no secret that we’re getting fatter. According to a report published earlier this year in the Lancet, more than a billion adults and children worldwide are now obese. Granted, millions of people are eating more processed crap and moving far less than they should, but that doesn’t totally explain the skyrocketing global rates. Unfortunately, when it comes to obesity, there’s not a simple answer or just one root cause to point the finger at. Obesity is a complex phenomenon, often with multiple elements in play – like genetics, sleep deprivation, chronic stress with accompanying high cortisol levels, certain medications and so on. But wait, there’s more: a growing number of researchers are investigating the idea that many of the chemicals we’re practically steeping in may also be helping fuel the global obesity crisis. The more these chemicals are pumped into the environment, the louder I sound the alarm – encouraging you to learn about them and then do your best to reduce your exposure. Your metabolic health, and ultimately your longevity, may depend on it. 

Toxins take a toll on your metabolism and much more.

Certain chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting agents, can interfere with the body's hormonal systems, affecting how the body produces and uses energy. Many researchers believe these chemicals are “obesogens,” in other words, they promote weight gain. Those added pounds of fat can function as metabolic disruptors, setting in motion a cascade of nasty metabolic changes, like increased blood sugar levels and insulin resistance, that can give rise to diabetes, obesity and fatty liver disease. 

Give yourself a toxin time-out.

There are no shortage of reasons why you should put common industrial chemicals on pause, as much as you possibly can. One big one: over time, that daily assault of chemicals strains your liver function, flooding it to the point where it simply can’t keep up with filtering all the bad guys out. So, it’s up to you to help your liver do its job – and support your longevity to boot – by slashing exposure. Reducing your daily chemical exposure, a.k.a. your ‘toxic load’, means slashing exposure to environmental pollutants. It also means educating yourself as to where they lurk and avoiding them at every turn. Here are a few to everyday items that can hurt your health and trigger trouble for your metabolic function:

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• Personal Care Products: Standard cosmetics, moisturizers, shampoos, and conditioners often contain ingredients that disrupt your hormonal balance, many of which are associated with markers of diabetes.
• Drinking water: Community water supplies often have too-high levels of EDs like atrazine, arsenic, and perchlorate (even though they may technically meet EPA standards).
• Canned foods:  Many are lined with BPA film, a common endocrine disruptor.
• Conventional or industrially farmed fruits and vegetables: Pesticides, herbicides, and industrial runoff can ‘bake’ endocrine disruptors into produce as it grows.
• Factory-farmed meat, poultry, and dairy products: Most animal products that come from industrial feed lot operations will contain disruptive antibiotics, hormones, and industrial chemicals.
• High-mercury fish: Shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, and tilefish are high in mercury and other heavy metals, which disrupt hormonal balance and function.
• Kitchen products: Common hazards include nonstick cookware, plastic wrap, and plastic containers, especially when heated.
• Cleaning products: These are frequently loaded with industrial chemicals that disrupt hormones.
• Cash register receipts: Most, as in up to 93% of them, contain BPA.
• Food packaging: wrapping and bags that can release chemicals into the food they contain.‍
• Agricultural pesticides & garden herbicides: Atrazine, which is used in farming may damage the reproductive system, liver, kidney, and heart, while the herbicide glyphosate (aka ‘Roundup’) is associated with increased cancer risk and metabolic dysfunction. ‍
• Flame retardants: Commonly found in furniture, electronics and textiles, they not only contaminate water sources but also increase risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and other health problems.

Indoors and out, be aware of environmental chemical exposure.

Given the metabolic mayhem that ensues when toxic chemical loads remain too high for too long, safe to say, modern life isn’t especially conducive to good health. While a poor diet and a sluggish level of physical activity are still probably the main culprits driving metabolic ills, the environment both indoor and outdoor, and the chemicals hiding within them, are also helping to make us sick. Here are a few key mechanisms:

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• Outdoor environmental factors: Pollutants in the world around you can cause lasting epigenetic changes -- alterations in the DNA that affect metabolic health -- not only in your own life but across generations – truly a frightening thought! Exposure to metabolism-disrupting chemicals (MDCs), such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), heavy metals, and contaminants with newly discovered toxicity, like perfluoroalkyl substances, are linked to the most common and insidious chronic conditions that are the bane of a healthy metabolism.

• Indoor environmental factors: Whether we’re at home, in the car or at the office, we all spend an enormous amount of time in indoor environments. Not only are you more vulnerable to chemical exposure and off-gassing in an enclosed space, the constant exposure to artificial light can throw off your natural circadian rhythms, making you that much more prone to metabolic disorders.

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• Mitochondrial mischief: Mitochondria are the cellular powerplants that drive human life. Unfortunately, they’re especially vulnerable to the toxic effects of environmental chemicals. These pollutants throw a wrench into the energy machine, generating oxidative stress (think free radicals) and impaired energy production.

Protect your metabolic health with a few wise workarounds.

While indeed, chemicals are hard to avoid, there’s still much you can do to keep your exposure as low as possible. To reduce your toxic load, start with a few easy-to-implement basics:

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1. Choose clean produce, buying organic or farmers’ market produce whenever possible, or in a pinch, frozen organic veggies. 
2. Default to non-GMO produce, to significantly reduce the likelihood of glyphosate residue winding up on your plate.
3. Leave processed foods on the shelf.
4. Buy grass-fed meats and/or pastured poultry, instead of meats from factory farmed animals raised on glyphosate-soaked(!) feed.
5. Buy a bit of fresh, organic soil and try your hand at growing a window box herb garden or a few veggies to ensure your crop will be free of chemical pesticides.
6. Replace non-stick pots and pans with ceramic or glass cookware.
7. Stop buying Roundup to kill weeds, and switch to non-toxic products and organic methods for your gardening efforts.
8. Keep bug spray use, indoors and out, to a minimum. Avoid bug ‘bombs and conventional extermination treatments, both of which tend to leave trails of toxins in their wake long after their release. 
9. No matter how high your local tap water may rate on municipal web sites, invest in a quality water filtration system to reduce contaminants in your drinking water.
10. Ditch conventional chemical household cleaning products and trade up to cleaner and greener alternatives that are kind to the earth and your body.
11. Ditch the off-gassing wall-to-wall carpet, and cover floors with natural fiber wool or cotton rugs, or ceramic tiles. 
12. Add some live plants to your home and office to naturally clean the air in the spaces where you spend much of your day. Which plants clean best? According to the NASA list, spider plants, English Ivy, rubber plants and Boston ferns are good bets. 
13. Clear the air and ditch scented stuff, air fresheners, dryer sheets and scented candles, all of which fill your indoor environment with toxic chemicals.
14. Buy the safest, low-toxin cosmetics and personal care products possible, using the Environmental Working Group’s Consumer Guides to make shopping for the best stuff a breeze.