in Environmental Exposures and Health
Endocrine disruption is the interference of foreign chemicals with the bodies hormonal systems. Brought to major public attention by the book Our Stolen Future, a large literature has developed regarding estrogenic compounds, anti-androgenic compounds, and effects on thyroid hormones. While one aspect of our research on PBDEs is examining effects on hormones, we are also interested in less traditional endpoints, for example environmental obesogens: "xenobiotic chemicals that can disrupt the normal developmental and homeostatic controls over adipogenesis and energy balance" (Grün and Blumberg, 2006). It is an interesting hypothesis, despite the clear roles of diet and exercise! Of related interest are effects on metabolic syndrome and cholesterol.
This work is being done in collaboration with Jessica Nelson, a doctoral student in Environmental Health at BUSPH, and Dr. Elizabeth Hatch in the Epidemiology Department.
Publications:
- Hatch EE, Nelson JW, Stahlhut RW, Webster TF. Association of Endocrine Disruptors and Obesity: Perspectives from Epidemiologic Studies. Int J Andrology. Accepted 11/25/09.
- Nelson JW, Hatch EE, Webster TF. Exposure to Polyfluoroalkyl Chemicals and Cholesterol, Body Weight, and Insulin Resistance in the General U.S. Population. Environ Health Perspect. In press. [Online 2 November 2009]. The full text is freely available doi:10.1289/ehp.0901165.
- Hatch EE, Nelson JW, Qureshi MM, Weinberg J, Moore LL, Singer M, Webster TF. The Association of Six Phthalate Metabolites with Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in NHANES 1999-2002. Environmental Health 2008; 7:24 (3 June 2008). The full text is freely available here
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