In human medicine, beta-agonists are also present in medicines to treat asthma, and recalcitrant weight gain is actually a common complaint in asthmatic patients using Advair (a beta-agonist medicine) – and it is to such an extent that the manufacturer has added “weight gain” to side effects.
Other countries have banned the use of growth promoters on animals, and for good reason. These medicines are known to cause infertility, birth defects, disability and even death.
3. 3. Endocrine disruptors
Many common household products contain endocrine disruptors, some of which are structurally similar to hormones such as estrogen and can therefore affect a person’s normal body function.
Examples include bisphenol-A (BPA), PCBs, phthalates, triclosan, agricultural and flame retardant pesticides. (note that BPS replacing BPA is no less toxic).
Some agricultural chemicals, glyphosate in particular, can also affect your weight by destroying beneficial bacteria in the colon. Recent research has shown that glyphosate causes extreme disruption of the functions and life cycles of microbes, and particularly affects beneficial bacteria, allowing pathogens to proliferate.
In the United States, the vast majority of the glyphosate that people consume comes from genetically modified products, such as sugar, maize, soybeans, and conventionally grown dried wheat. In addition to changing your gut flora, glyphosate also amplifies the deleterious effects of other food-borne chemical residues and food toxins.
4. Artificial pulcoters
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Again, there is a huge misunderstanding when it comes to artificial sweeteners. They are marketed as “light”, but research suggests that they have the opposite effect.
Artificial sweeteners have been shown to stimulate appetite, increase carbohydrate cravings, and weight gain. Artificial sweeteners trick our brain into thinking it is getting sugar, and since sugar doesn’t, the brain signals that it needs carbohydrates. Hence a cycle promoting weight gain.
A study cited in a recent paper by Democrat and Chronicle, “saw that those who frequently drink light sodas have a 500% larger increase in waist circumference than those who do not.”
5. Stealth marketing for junk food
Children are the main target of junk food marketing. We see it at supermarket crates where there are bars of chocolate, candies and sodas placed strategically at the height of children’s eyes. This type of marketing must be effective, because 1 in 3 children in the United States is considered obese today. This type of lifestyle is obviously to the detriment of children from both a physical and an emotional point of view.
Children are now exposed to marketing through the brand license (brands negotiate where their products will be placed), product placement, schools, stealth marketing, DVDs, games and the Internet. According to a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM), children aged 2 to 11 now have an average of 10 food ads per day.
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, recently warned that “obesity is a global health threat greater than tobacco use.” The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has also recently published a position on obesity and cancer, in which they also state that “obesity is rapidly surpassing tobacco as the main preventable cause of cancer.”
During this year’s World Health Organization summit, De Schutter urged nations to join forces to place stricter rules on unhealthy foods, saying, “Just as the world has mobilized to regulate the risks of tobacco, a courageous framework convention on adequate diets must now be established.”
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