Environmental endocrine disruptors and obesity.

UNLABELLED: Obesity has recently become an epidemic. The rise in the childhood obesity incidence is of particular concern. High density caloric diets and physical inactivity are the main causes of obesity. Besides that, is generally accepted that obesity has a genetic predisposition, unchanged for the past few decades. The environment via endocrine disruptors might be, at least partly responsible for the globally obesity epidemic. Endocrine disruptors are environmental chemical compounds produced by human activity that either mimic or block hormonal actions. Many of them modulate lipid metabolism and adipogenesis, contributing to obesity initiation and/or exacerbation. Here we provide an overview of the role of the environmental chemical obesogens and their impact on obesity. KEYWORDS: obesity, endocrine disruptors, epigenetics.