Erin O'Hara: Naturopath and wellness expert explains how chemicals impact our weight

Obesogens are chemicals that disrupt the body's normal controls and promote fat cell formation (adipogenesis) and lipid accumulation. These can potentially lead to obesity. 

Common types of obesogens include BPA, phthalates, herbicides, pesticides, PFOA and nonstick cookware and food additives.

Naturopath and wellness expert Erin O'Hara reveals how obesogens affect your body - and how you can minimise your exposure. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudkin
from News talks'b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Okay, you heard of obesigens. We are going to tell
you all about obesigens. Joining me now to talk wellness
is Aeron O'Hara. Good morning, Good morning. What are obesigens.

Speaker 3 (00:22):
Obesigens are chemicals that disrupts the normal balance within the
body and they promote spat cell formation as well as
lipid accumulation, so basically making us get fatter. And that's
not just like calories and calories out and exercising what
we're eating, but actually it's changing the way the endocrime
system or your hormone system is working, which is affecting

(00:43):
your way and when you do eat how it stores
body fat.

Speaker 2 (00:48):
Okay. So like when you had a kid, you were told,
well you have to have a plastic cut without BPAs
and things like that. Is that what we're talking about, absolutely? Okay.

Speaker 3 (00:56):
So that's one type of abeesagen. So the different types
of chemicals, A lot of it does come from things
like plastics, also pallate, herbicides, pesticides, nonstick coock wears a
big one for putting in more chemicals into your food,
food additives, and even sometimes pharmaceutical drugs, not so much
the drug itself, but sometimes all the additives that they

(01:17):
add in to make the tablets. So there's numerous things
ways we get these different chemicals into our body that
disrupt the way the body functions, and unfortunately they're actually unavoidable,
like we're all exposed to them. Just living in this world.
You're exposed to them every single day, and I think
it's more about how we manage that and how we

(01:38):
kind of reduce our exposure, because if we're exposed to
too many like spraying perfume and using different skincare that's
putting more chemicals on our skin. Also the foods that
we eat, and maybe we've put something in the microwave
with a bit of glad wrap on. There's just like
numerous levels of different ways we're getting those different chemicals
in throughout the entire day. So I think it's more

(01:59):
about cutting down your exposure and being aware that these
things do affect how the body functions, and not just
fat formation, but also other functions within the body, so
even just hormone disruption in general, and so the best
way you can manage it is minimize your exposure. Is
looking at maybe swapping out some of your produce for

(02:21):
organic or maybe even grow your own vegetables to try
and reduce some of the exposure there where possible, choose
a more natural product rather than a chemical product. And
the best way to kind of pick up what's in
it is read the packaging. Most things have labeled on it.
You can start looking at what to look for, and
there's amazing different websites that you can look for of

(02:44):
what chemicals are endocrine disrupting chemicals and what to avoid,
and you can and there's actually some great apps out
there that you can actually scan in the barcode and
lock up what sort of chemicals are in different products,
so you can find those even on most cell phones.

Speaker 2 (03:01):
So, as you said, we can't remove this entirely, excuse
me from our lives. But actually if you make it
to remove some of it doesn't make a difference.

Speaker 3 (03:08):
Huge difference, Okay, Yeah, Because the thing is that as
time's passing and we're getting more and more in this
modern life, we're actually getting more and more exposure and
obesity rates are rising and use it can be what
we're doing eating wise and exercise. But this is another
huge factor and there's more and more research coming out
around this and the effect that the chemical overload is

(03:31):
having on our bodies. And so the best way we
can manage that is look at reducing exposure and it's
all those little things you do. So even looking at packaging,
So if you're buying food, if you can try and
reduce buying tins that have BPA lining or plastic lining
within them, or packaging on the outside, so where we

(03:51):
can maybe go into a bulk food sort of company
and getting it into jars, reducing all the plastics there.
Also maybe not touching receipts. Receipts so actually got plastic
layer on them. So if you're buying some shopping, just
be like, no receipts.

Speaker 2 (04:06):
Well, I do ask these days, don't they?

Speaker 3 (04:08):
Thank you so much?

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Aaron, Fascinating stuff.

Speaker 1 (04:11):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to News Talks it B from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.