Obesogens

Utilizing the first article, discuss what is locally grown and what is currently in season in your area.

• In California, during late September I found that there are plenty of fruits and vegetables in season such as apples, arugula, broccoli, dates, garlic, kale, lemons, nopales, peaches, potatoes, and tomatillos to name a few. 

Discuss your thoughts on seasonal/local foods and hospital menus. 

• Hospitals are places where people go when they are ill, therefore it only makes sense for these places to put as much emphasis on the food they feed their patients as they do on the medications they prescribe them.  Locally grown foods are better for our health because they contain more nutrients as they are allowed to ripen naturally. In addition, they also benefit the environment because they do not require transportation across long distances thus reducing the number of emissions due to transportation. 

Find a Harvest Calendar for your state (or a state you are interested in) utilizing the link in the first article (found underneath the example Harvest Calendar for New York State). 

What are your thoughts on the second article? Have you heard of obesogens before?

• According to this article, obesogens are "dietary, pharmaceutical, and industrial compounds that may alter metabolic processes and predispose some people to gain weight". The first time I learned about this term was in this course at the beginning of the semester in the toxicology and pharmacology presentation. I also used to subscribe to the idea that obesity was solely the result of poor eating habits and lack of proper physical activity. Now I know that obesogens may affect the number of fat cells, and other hormones that affect appetite, satiety, food preference, and energy metabolism and thus exposure to such chemicals early in life may predispose people to gain weight. It seems unfair that many people now have to work twice as hard as the average person in order to maintain a healthy weight, simply because of the chemicals they were exposed to before they even came into the world or were old enough to understand the effects of these exposures. 

Pick one of the potential obesogens discussed in the article and using your resources from earlier modules (such as toxnet), do some research on this potential obesogen. Share what you found! 

• One of the potential obesogens discussed in this article was bisphenol A (BPA). It is found in many foods and beverage containers as well as in dental materials. BPA is mainly used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins. Upon further research, I found that BPA is an endocrine disruptor which can affect the male and female reproductive systems. In females, exposure to BPA can alter the estrous cycles and ovarian homeostasis. In males, exposure can increase the anogenital distance and decrease sperm production and quality.