Environmental Pollutants Linked to Insulin Resistance

Imagine. You add more fish in your diet, because you want to eat more healthfully, and after a month you notice you have gained belly fat. You go to your doctor, and after having some tests done, he or she tells you that you are now having trouble regulating your blood sugar. After asking you a few questions, your doctor discovers the culprit—you have been exposed to too many environmental toxins. 

This is exactly what happened to rats who ate fish oil contaminated with high levels of chemical pollutants. Although we look nothing alike, our makeup (as humans) has a lot in common with rats, which is why rats are studied so often. There have been numerous studies linking environmental toxins to weight gain in humans (and rats). However, the study I’m about to tell you about is the first to associate high levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) with the onset of insulin resistance.
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Pesticides Linked to ADHD

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has grown in prevalence in the last twenty years, leaving many wondering why. One answer was determined in a study done on a group children aged eight to fifteen years of age. These children were significantly more likely to have ADHD if their urine had high levels of organophosphate pesticide metabolites.

Organophosphate pesticide metabolites is a fancy phrase for an organic compound containing phosphorous. Organophosphates are used in insecticides and pesticides. 

Researchers started with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2002-2004) on a cross-section of children. At the time, this group was thought to be representative of all children in the United States. Parents of these 1,193 children were interviewed, and based on their input 119 met the criteria for ADHD. An additional 29 were being medicated for ADHD, bringing the total studied to 148—roughly 10 percent of the original cohort. 
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