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Environmental Obesogens

Studies have shown that obesity has become increasingly prevalent in both people and animals such as pets and laboratory animals. There have been no linkages found between this obesity trend and diet and exercise. According to Professor Robert H. Lustig from the University of California, San Francisco, “[E]ven those at the lower end of the body mass index (BMI) curve are gaining weight. Whatever is happening is happening to everyone, suggesting an environmental trigger.” The theory of environmental obesogens proposes a different causal facet to obesity – that lifetime exposure to xenobiotic chemicals may change the body’s metabolic system. Chemical obesogens are molecules that do not properly regulate lipid metabolism in the body and could therefore promote obesity. Data is scarce, but some in-vitro studies have found this model could be an accurate predictor of future obesity. A study suggested that smoking before and during pregnancy, for example, increases the risk of obesity twofold in children of school age.

Many chemicals that are known or suspected to be obesogens are endocrine disruptors. These obesogens are present in common-use products. In a University at Albany, State University of New York study, organotins were found in a designer handbag, vinyl blinds, wallpaper, tile, and vacuum cleaner dust collected from 20 houses. Phthalates, which have also been linked to obesity, are present in many PVC items in addition to scented items like fresheners, laundry products, and personal care products. Bisphenol A (BPA), is one known environmental obesogen that reduces overall number of fat cells, but makes remaining fat cells larger. Effects of obesogens in animals are the same effects researchers see later in life for low-birth weight babies – glucose intolerance and more abdominal fat. The study concludes that obesogens change an individual’s metabolic set points for gaining weight.

Race & Genetics

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), blacks and Hispanics have obesity rates that are 51% and 21% higher than whites, respectively. In most states that underwent examination, blacks had the highest prevalence of obesity, followed by Hispanics, then whites. Many explanations exist to explain the disparity, among which include different behaviors among racial and ethnic groups, differing cultural norms in regards to body weight and size, and unequal access to healthy foods.

Race and genetics are two other dimensions of obesity that have been extensively studied to try and account for the difference. Some have argued that genetics play a role in the propensity for the occurrence of obesity in things like fat deposition and adipokine secretion. Some critics also cite that race itself may have an impact on the way obesity presents itself in individuals. In a recent study of 70,000 men and women of African ancestry, researchers found three new common genetic variants. These single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are connected to body mass index (BMI) and obesity. Therefore, individuals who carry these variants are more at risk of becoming obese. Researchers noted that these genetic variants are but a very small determination in most cases of obesity. It is generally agreed upon by many in the medical community that environmental factors and poor health and eating habits are still considered to be the strongest contributors to obesity.

One study found that black men and women have a lower percentage of body fat than white men and women with the same body mass index (BMI). A similar study concluded that obese black adolescents had significantly less dangerous visceral fat than obese white adolescents. Visceral fat is significant because it has been more strongly linked to the risk of disease as compared to fat stored in other parts of the body.

Social Perspective: Weight Bias & Stigma

Weight bias is an ongoing field of study that has garnered much more attention in the past few years. There are some studies that focus on obesity-related stigmatization. Multiple academics cite that people who are overweight and obese are thrown into a perpetual cycle of discrimination in employment, healthcare access, and education because negative stereotypes are often attributed to the overweight – laziness, incompetence, weakness of will, sloppiness, and untrustworthiness to name a few.

In one study of 2,249 obese and overweight women, 54% reported experiencing weight stigma from their fellow colleagues and 43% reported experiencing weight stigma from their superiors. Such weight stigma can be defined as derogatory comments, preferential treatment towards normal-weight colleagues, and denial of employment. In another study of 2,838 nationally representative adults aged 25-74, overweight respondents, obese respondents, and severely obese respondents were 12, 37, and 100 times more likely to report employment discrimination than normal-weight respondents, respectively. Studies show that wages can also be negatively impacted. Data suggests that after controlling for other socioeconomic, limitations of health, and other household variables, obese men were expected to see a 0.7 to 3.4% wage depression and obese women were expected to see a wage depression between 2.3 to 6.1%.

Studies have also been conducted showing that physicians are most likely to attribute lack of motivation as the primary cause of obesity, coupled with non-compliance and general laziness. In one United Kingdom study, physicians tended to follow a victim-blaming approach about the causes of obesity, while the obese patients themselves attributed their weight to specific medical causes or other socioeconomic factors, such as low income. Disparities in perceived causation have been seen in some circles as a major hindrance towards physicians and patients abilities to come up with a balanced obesity management plan.

Educational weight bias also persists according to a range of studies conducted observing the effects of obesity and educational attainment. A study of over 700,000 Swedish men found that, after controlling for intelligence and parental socioeconomic levels, those who were obese at the age of 18 had a lower chance of going to college than their peers, who were of normal weight. Similarly, a study based on data gathered by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health concluded that obese women were 50% less likely to attend college than women who were not obese. It was also found in this study that female students who attended school where most of the females were obese had a relatively similar chance of attending college as non-obese women.

Weight bias, fat stigma, and discrimination are factors that many academics say can contribute to hopelessness and depression that may encourage the same unhealthy habits that initially caused obesity