There are more and more obese people around the world. Four out of ten high school students in the United States are overweight, and the global obesity rate has doubled since the 1970s, and the number of obese people is expected to reach 1 billion by 2030. Obesity can have serious consequences, and it is closely related to health problems such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. There is no consensus on what causes obesity, but scientists have identified some contributing factors, including genetics, stress, viruses, changes in sleep habits, and the prevalence of processed foods high in sugar, salt, and fat. An emerging idea raised by scientists is that ubiquitous chemicals in the environment are linked to obesity, and that chemicals, albeit in very low doses, can still interfere with the normal working of human metabolism, disrupting the body’s ability to regulate energy intake and expenditure. . Chemicals known as obesogenic agents promote the production of specific cell types and adipose tissue associated with obesity. These chemicals are widely used in plastic packaging, clothing and furniture, cosmetics, food additives, herbicides and pesticides. The idea of chemically induced obesity was a fringe hypothesis that was not widely accepted ten years ago, but not anymore.
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