Living in a world with easily accessible resources and convenient solutions has its benefits, but it can also breed negative consequences for your wellbeing. Among them is your hormonal health – an integral facet of your ability to thrive in daily life. Here are 4 things that disrupt your hormones:
Plastic
Plastic is so common today that it’s become ingrained into consumer society. In fact, over 380 million tons of it is produced every year from crude oil, with a large percentage utilized for single-use purposes.
What you might not realize if you drink from a plastic water bottle or eat food wrapped in plastic is that it can disrupt your hormones. There is evidence to suggest this is the case for both men and women.
Studies on animals like mice, rats and pigs have concluded that micro plastic exposure can decrease testosterone, increase oxidative stress in testicles and decrease sperm quality for males. Female animals are affected through oxidative stress in their ovaries, decreased pregnancies and miscarriages. Since humans are also mammals then this data implies that we can be similarly affected. See here for the full article.
Pharmaceutical Medications
In the western world there is encouragement by doctors and other professionals to take medication to combat mental health problems. In life or death situations this makes sense, but there are alternative ways to help yourself if the circumstances are less extreme; namely exercise, a whole-foods diet and daily sunlight exposure. See here for more information on exercise’s effects in particular.
For those who opt for the medication route, be aware that SSRIs and antipsychotics come with their fair share of health-damaging side effects. One of them being that the chemicals can disrupt your hormones.
One study looked into the effects of the six major SSRIs available today and found that they all disrupted the endocrine system. It’s stated that the mechanisms of disruption are different among the six, but each decreased testosterone levels in men. You can find the full study here.
Polyester
Another widely produced and available material we run into every day is polyester. Derived from crude oil and considered a type of plastic fiber, it’s found in things like plastic-containing products and clothing.
Like plastic, we often don’t bat an eye when we see tags labeled “made from polyester”, but be aware that it’s also been proven to disrupt your hormones. Some research by the National Library of Medicine links it with causing infertility in men. See here for the full study.
In terms of clothing, you can always opt out of polyester-based articles or at least ones that have a large percentage present. Cotton or wool would be suitable alternatives as they’re made from natural sources. Moreover, buy less plastic-based products and go for stainless steel when possible.
Processed Foods
The advent of processed foods has been more of a curse than a blessing for our society. The industry falsely leads you to believe that convenience is a justifiable solution for hunger, even at the expense of your health.
Aside from the more obvious consequences that could arise from habitual consumption, such as weight gain and cardiovascular issues, they can also disrupt your hormones. Fast food items have been supposedly reported to contain pthalates, an endocrine disruptor. The food coupled with the handling gloves used to prepare it further increase exposure to this chemical. Furthermore, the ready-made meals in grocery stores with long shelf lives are packaged in plastic, which also produce pthalates in the food when microwaved.
Your best preventative measures are to opt for whole foods as often as possible, refrain from buying packaged meals and fast food, and use stainless steel containers to store leftovers.