ABSTRACT
In addition to the overconsumption of calorically dense foods and pervasive sedentary behavior, the global obesity pandemic is also heavily influenced by chronic low-dose exposures to endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are pervasive in the environments of industrialized societies. These chemical obesogens can elicit varying degrees of impact if exposures occur during important developmental windows such as the perinatal period. These exposures can contribute to adverse health outcomes throughout the lifespan and even in subsequent generations of offspring without additional exposure. Some well-known obesogens include tributyltin, a biocide that activates the master regulator of adipocyte differentiation and metabolism, and bisphenol A, a xenoestrogen that acts on multiple receptor systems, including those that affect the brain and feeding behavior. Additional methods by which obesogens may function include via activating nuclear hormone or cell-surface receptors, affecting receptor activity in other ways, serving as an overconsumed nutrient, impairing mitochondrial function, altering the epigenome to favor the expression of adipogenic genes, shifting the microbiome, influencing neurological function, or disrupting circadian rhythms. This chapter reviews recent research in the obesogen field including a discussion of well-documented and proposed mechanisms of action. Together, these create a perfect storm for obesity.
