As obesity rates rise in the U.S., scientists are working to understand what’s driving the epidemic. While diet and exercise are major factors, these reviews point toward obesogens — chemical compounds believed to disrupt the metabolism — as an important contributor.
by Grace Van Deelen
Many years ago, endocrinologist and medical doctor Robert Lustig had a patient, a 5-year-old girl, who was suffering from obesity. Unable to determine the cause of her obesity, Lustig scanned her for tumors.
The culprit was not a tumor, nor the girl’s diet, exercise, or family history. Rather, it was her body wash, said Lustig, a professor emeritus of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology at the University of California, San Francisco.
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