Xenoestrogens: Killer Hormone-like Chemicals

If you're like me, even though I was an Environmental Science major, I never heard of the word xenostrogens before. While xeno stands for foreign, estrogen is a hormone. Accordingly, xenoestrogens are foreign hormones.

Unbelievably, there are over 70,000 synthetic chemicals in use today, but only a handful have been tested for their effects on human health. So far, over 200 of these have been identified as xenohormones. An xenohormone or xenoestrogen is a compound that is very similar to the chemical structure of estrogen. Since they are fat-soluble, they can be stored in the body for years.

Xenoestrogens can enter the body through ingestion, inhalation, or absorption through the skin. Once in the body, since they are so structurally similar to estrogen, they can lock into the receptor sites that natural estrogen normally locks into. This causes estrogen dominance. In estrogen dominance, a woman can either have deficient, normal, or excessive estrogen levels while having little or no progesterone. Likewise, estrogen dominance can affect men too.

Estrogen dominance can result in many symptoms. Some of them include:

• Aging
• Different types of cancers such as breast cancer, edometrial or uterine cancer, and prostate cancer
• Infertility and other related problems like endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, uterine fibroids, and irregular periods
• Gallbladder disease
• Sluggish metabolism, weight gain and distribution of fat around thighs, hips, and abdomen
• Insomnia
• Breast enlargement, prostate enlargement, low sperm counts in men
• Osteoporosis
• Early onset of menstruation
• Autoimmune disorders

Food Supply: Many xenohormones get into our food supply through what we feed livestock for human consumption. Growth hormones are used to make them weigh more or produce more milk. It is estimated that 75% of the xenoestrogens in human bodies come from this source.

Pesticides and insecticides

Birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy

Pthalates: Found in most plastics, inks, adhesives, vinyl floorings, and some paints, these chemicals are linked to abnormalities in rats. Pthalates are synthetic chemicals that are added to plastics to make them more soft and flexible. They may cause reduced testosterone levels, testicular tumors, and reproduction tract abnormalities in males while causing increased marriages in women.

Alkylphenols and Nonylphenols: Found in detergents, shampoos, cosmetics, spermicidal lubricants, pesticides, and clear plastics, these chemicals are not broken down during wastewater treatment and enter the food chain through waterways. Since concentrated amounts have been found in fish and birds, since these chemicals have been found in tap water, they are more than likely accumulating in humans too. These chemicals can increase the growth rate of breast cancer tumors in humans and cause improperly developed reproductive organs in the offspring

Bisphenol A: Found in the polycarbonate resins of hard plastics and dental sealants, these chemicals leech out of the plastics and can cause changes in the prostate gland.

If you think xenoestrogens may be causing problems for you, the following suggestions will help reduce the levels in your body.

• When you bring vegetables and fruits home from the grocery store, wash them well.
• Avoid plastic food and storage containers, plastic silverware, and styrofoam cups.
• Microwave in glass containers and don't use plastic wrap while using the microwave.
• Only buy organic meats, eggs, an dairy products. Meats, eggs, and dairy products that are labeled as organic are not given estrogen.
• Avoid coffee. Coffee can enhance the effect of estrogen.
• Avoid parabens (butylparaben, ethylparaben, methylparaben, propylparaben), octyl-methoxycinnamate, octyl-dimethyl-PABA, benzophenone-3, homosalate, an 4-methyl-benzylidene camphor (4-MBC) in personal care products.
• Avoid canned food since the linings are usually plastic
• A styrofoam cups and food containers
• Use natural pest control rather pesticides.
• Use a cup of salt in a gallon of vinegar rather than herbicides.
• A perfumes and air freshners
• Avoid nail polish and nail polish removers.
• Avoid food with propyl gallate and 4-hexyl resorcinol. Propyl gallate is a preservative used to prevent fats and oils from going rancid in cosmetics, food packaging materials, and foods while 4-hexyl resorcinol is used to prevent discoloaration in shrimp and other shellfish.
• Eat foods with phytonutrients. Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens. When a phytoestrogen binds to an estrogen receptor other xenoestrogens cannot bind to it. Phytoestrogens are weaker than other xenoestrogens.
• Avoid using bleached tampons, bleached coffee filters, and other bleached paper products.

Since xenoestrogens surround us at every angle, they can be damaging our bodies without our knowledge. The best way to avoid them is through education and prevention. Like the old saying states, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."