The Obesogen Effect: Why We Eat Less and Exercise More but Still Struggle to Lose Weight

by Bruce Blumberg PhD, Kristin Loberg (With)

Overview

An eye-opening account of the landmark research into the hidden chemicals that are endangering our health and keeping us fat.

Being overweight is not just the result of too many cheeseburgers or not enough exercise. According to leading-edge science, a new group of silent saboteurs in our daily lives is contributing greatly to our obesity epidemic: obesogens. These weight-inducing offenders, most of which are chemicals, disrupt our hormonal systems, altering how we create and store fat, and changing how we respond to dietary choices and caloric intake. Because they are largely unregulated, obesogens lurk all around us-in food, furniture, plastic products such as water bottles and food storage containers, and other surprising exposure points. Even worse: research has shown that the effects of some obesogens can be passed on to future generations by irreversibly interfering with the expression of our genes. The good news is we can protect ourselves by becoming more informed consumers.

In The Obesogen Effect, Dr. Bruce Blumberg explains how obesogens work, where they are found, and how we can minimize their effects. Dr. Blumberg offers a highly practical three-step solution for reducing exposures. He explains why one size does not fit all in a weight loss program, what harmful additives are in our household goods, and how we should shop for obesogen-free items we use every day-from vegetables and meats to canned soup as well as household cleaners, air fresheners, and personal care products. The Obesogen Effect, is an urgent call to action to protect your body, clean up your life, and set a straight course for better health.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781478970644
Publisher:	Grand Central Publishing
Publication date:	03/20/2018
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,062,064
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Bruce Blumberg, PhD, has been conducting pioneering research in endocrinology and developmental biology for more than thirty years. He is professor in the Departments of Developmental and Cell Biology, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Biomedical Engineering at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). At UCI, his laboratory studies the biology of nuclear hormone receptors in development, physiology, and disease with a particular emphasis on how these are affected by hormonally active compounds in the diet and environment. In 2012, he was elected as a fellow of the prestigious American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Fat: An Unrequited Love Story 1

Part I In the Fatlands: The New Science of Obesity

1 Why Are We So Fat Despite Our Best Efforts? 11

The Hidden Factor No One Is Talking About

2 A Modern Chemistry of Fat 40

How We Gain and Lose Weight in the Twenty-First Century

3 The Science of Obesogens 66

Why Chemicals-Not Willpower-Could Be Holding the Remote Control to Your Weight

4 The Power of Epigenetics 100

What Obesity and Other Non-communicable Diseases Have in Common

5 It Gets Complicated 127

Other Fat-Inducing Factors

Part II In the Real World: How to Take Control in 3 Simple Steps

6 Step 1: It Really Does Start with Food 159

Cleaning Up Your Diet

7 Step 2: Purge the Plastic 191

Reducing the Plastic in Your Life

8 Step 3: Rethink Your Personal Space 205

Your Simple Household Makeover

9 Extra Credit 233

Noise, Light, and Other Sources of Obesogenic Pollution Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Efforts

Conclusion: Warning: May Cause Obesity 248

Acknowledgments 255

References 263

Image Credits 287

Index 289

About the Authors 305

Editorial Reviews

"Why do we get hungry, feel tired, and gain weight? A likely culprit is our fat cells. THE OBESOGEN EFFECT, written by the researcher who literally defined this new field, explains how our diet and other exposures can program the body for weight gain-beyond calories in, calories out-and what you can do about it!"—David Ludwig, MD, PhD, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Always Hungry?

"If you think obesity is about couch potatoes and gluttony, or calories in vs. calories out, you must think again. Or better yet, read this book. It tells a complex scientific story with vivid, accessible clarity about the role that obesogens-chemical contaminants that can alter our metabolism, appetite and more-play into making us fat. The bad news is that obesogens are all too common and hard to avoid if you aren't paying attention. The book's good news is that there are many simple, practical steps you can take that will protect you and your family."
—John Peterson Myers, PhD, Chief Scientist, Carnegie Mellon University

"Every wonder why it is so easy to gain weight and hard to lose it? This simple to read, scientifically factual book can change your life-it is a must read."—Jerry Heindel, Commonweal

"You probably agree that cigarettes cause cancer, even knowing that not everyone who gets cancer smokes cigarettes and not everyone who smokes cigarettes gets cancer. Bruce Blumberg makes the case clearly that industrial chemicals cause obesity in a similar way. Bruce is an eminent researcher who, through his discoveries, has changed the way we think about body weight regulation-both in a fundamental way, as well as by providing insight into the role of industrial chemicals. This readable book, with its solid scientific base, will change the way you think about the obesity epidemic-and what we can do about it."—R. Thomas Zoeller, PhD, Professor of Biology

From the Publisher