What the obesogens research has revealed so far is that prenatal exposure to certain chemicals can reprogram an infant’s metabolism so that it is predisposed to becoming fat. While much of the research on this subject is still in its infancy, its implications for the future health and well being of our children, and maybe event the adult population, are significant and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

In light of these findings, taking the necessary steps to limit or eliminate your exposure to phthalate and BPA containing products seems like a wise thing to do, especially if you’re pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or have young children.

So what should you look out for? Phthalates are often found in toys, food packaging, hoses, raincoats, shower curtains and other forms of vinyl plastic including vinyl flooring, lubricants, adhesives, detergents, nail polish, hair spray, shampoo and are often a hidden ingredient in the fragrances found in many personal care and body products.

Bisphenol-A (or BPA) is a hardener that is added to plastic to make it durable and is often found in baby bottles, food-storage containers, water coolers, dental fillings, the lining inside canned goods, sports equipment, CDs, and even sun glasses, to name a few. If it’s plastic, doesn’t bend and is durable, it’s probably BPA. It’s most often found in polycarbonate (super hard plastic) bottles.

Of course further research will likely be required to determine what other substances may fall into this new class of chemicals, as well as if adult exposure to obesogens has an impact on weight gain. For now, most scientists agree that the problem seems to be isolated to fetal exposure and exposures during infancy. If you are overweight or an obese adult at the moment, it’s unlikely that it was the result of early childhood exposures or so the thinking goes. Then again, until now, we also believed that the only way you gain weight is if you consume more calories than you burn!