This post has taken information from Discoveries magazine Fall 2017, page 17.  Discoveries magazine is the flagship magazine of  Cedars Sinai which explores the latest medical research and patient care.  

Can chemical additives in breakfast cereals and other everyday products lead to obesity?

Growing evidence from animal experiments suggest the answer may be “Yes” but confirming these finding in humans has been daunting.

Cedars Sinai investigators tested three chemicals known as “endocrine disruptors.” 

1. Butylated hydroxytoluene, or BHT:  

This is an antioxidant commonly added to foods and other products to keep fats in them from turning rancid.  It can be found in cereal, chewing gum, cosmetics, potato chips, salami and shortening.  

2. Perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA: 

This is a polymer found in microwave popcorn bags, some non-stick cookware, stain resisitant carpets, and other products.

3. Tributyltin or TBT:  

A compound used in paints (Mostly for boats and ships) that can make its way into seafood and water.  It is also used as a preservative in paper, leather, textiles, wood, and is a stabilizer in plastics.  Though banned in most countries, it has a long half life and can remain in the environment for up to 30 years.  

This study is the first to use human stem cells and tissues to document how they may disrupt hormones critical to communication between the digestive system and the brain.  

In a nutshell, hormone-producing tissues grown from human stem cells were used to see how chronic exposure to these compounds can interfere with signals that let people know when they are full.  If this signaling system breaks down, people usually eat more than necessary and can gain weight.  

“We discovered that each of these chemicals damaged hormones that communicate between the gut and the brain,” says Dhruv Sareen, PHD, assistant professor of Biomedical Sciences and director of the David and Janet Polak Foundation Stem Cell Core Laboratory at the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute.  

The researchers went on to say that BHT produced some of the strongest adverse effects.  This chemical evaluation system may provide a safe and cost effective way to review the health effects of numerous chemicals in our environment.  Though it is stated that more research is needed to determine if it is a causal link to obesity.