Everyday Toxins and Menopause

Exercise and nutrition are essential to maintaining your health throughout middle age. But have you considered your exposure to environmental toxins?

These are substances we are exposed to on a daily basis simply by living, breathing, eating, drinking, and participating in modern society. These toxins enter your body and have a detrimental impact on your health, usually without you ever realizing it.

A few simple changes can help you create a cleaner and less toxic household, which can significantly impact your health now and in the years to come.

Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) include the following compounds:

• Phthalates
• BPA (bisphenol A)
• Parabens
• PBDEs (polybrominated diphenyl ethers)
• Heavy metals
• PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls)

EDCs are found widely in consumer products and persist in the environment. Experts estimate that nearly all people have detectable amounts of EDCs in their bodies today as a result of their exposure throughout their lifetimes.

Many people are not aware that they are exposed to EDCs through drinking water, household cleaners, laundry detergents, perfume, cash register receipts, personal care products, mattresses, and furniture.

Why EDCs Cause Health Issues

EDCs mimic the body’s natural hormones (like estrogen, testosterone and thyroid hormones) and block or interfere with their ability to bind to receptors.

Exposure to certain EDCs has been associated with thyroid disease, especially in postmenopausal women, which suggests that hormone disruption could be further affected by menopausal estrogen levels. Menopausal and postmenopausal women may also have less ability to fend off the toxic effects of these EDCs in the body due to age.

Long-Term Effects of Toxins

While the long-term effects of EDCs is not yet entirely understood, they presumably cause larger health impacts the more they accumulate in the body. Research has shown correlations between certain toxins and increased risk of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

Both animal and human studies have shown that exposure to certain EDCs can damage reproductive function and lead to endometrial, breast, and ovarian cancer. It has also been linked to early puberty, infertility, miscarriage, polycystic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, painful uterine fibroids, and shortened lactation.

Environmental contaminants also appear to play a role in the timing of menopause. One 2015 study found that women exposed to EDCs were six times more likely to experience early menopause (prior to the average age of 51 years). The study also suggests 15 chemicals that may specifically harm the ovaries.

Reduce Your Toxin Exposure

Chemical ingredients in the consumer products we use every day are unfortunately widely untested and unregulated—requiring no clinical trials or prior approval from the FDA before entering the marketplace. Even consumers who are aware of potential concerns may be fooled by terms like “natural” or “gentle” that don’t actually mean anything.

Until the impacts of personal toxins are more clearly understood, it is important to know what you may be exposed to on a daily basis and what you can do to reduce your exposure.

Your Food

EDCs are found in food and the packaging in which it is stored, heated or transported. They are present in fatty foods like dairy and fish, animal fat, and foods packaged in plastic or coated containers and cans.

Purchase foods that are local and organic as much as possible can to reduce the EDC content that may be present in items from the larger industrial food system. Eating a more plant-based diet can reduce your exposure to hormones given to farmed animals that end up in consumer meat products. Colorful plant foods are also high in antioxidants, which protect your health.

When choosing produce at the grocery store, get to know the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15 lists, which tell us which fruits and vegetables typically have the most, and the least, endocrine-disrupting pesticide contamination.

Your Home

How many of the items in your house contain—or are stored in—plastic? Plastic is a major vehicle for BPA exposure.

• Instead of plastic food storage like Tupperware, store food and beverages in glass containers or mason jars with screw-top lids.
• When defrosting or heating food, use a microwave-safe glass dish and avoid covering it with plastic wrap.
• Trade in old nonstick pots and pans for cast iron or stainless steel.
• Rather than purchasing a case of water in plastic bottles, put a water filter on your sink and use this to fill a stainless steel or glass water bottle.
• Replace plastic cooking utensils with bamboo or stainless steel versions.

Other household practices that reduce EDC exposure include:

• Removing your shoes when you come inside
• Opening windows often for ventilation
• Avoiding petroleum-based air fresheners
• Dusting weekly to remove pesticides and allergens
• Placing a filter on your shower

Personal Care Products

Some of the biggest sources of EDCs are the products you use on our bodies on a daily basis, like cosmetics, soaps, fragrances, and other toiletries. In fact, the Harvard School of Public Health says that the average American is exposed to over 100 harmful chemicals before leaving the house in the morning.

The Environmental Working Group recommends watching out for the following ingredients in common household products:

In antibacterial hand soaps: Avoid triclosan

In shampoos: Avoid sodium lauryl sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate, and ammonia lauryl sulfate

In fragrances: Avoid toluene

In cosmetics and perfumes: Avoid the ingredients DMDM hydantoin, Diazolidinyl urea, Imidazolidinyl urea, Ceteareth PEG, and polyethylene in cosmetics and perfumes

In sunscreens: Avoid the ingredients Retinyl Palmitate and Oxybenzone

The good news is that there are consumer brands working to raise awareness about the toxins in personal care items and creating safer products, many of which are readily available at the store. Check out Skin Safe or the Skin Deep Cosmetic Database to find better options.

Cleaning & Pest Control Products

Harsh chemicals used for cleaning and pest control significantly impact public health and the environment.

Everyday cleaning solutions can be made with basic ingredients like combinations of baking soda, lemon juice, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol and salt.

Natural weed killer can be made with white vinegar or by pouring boiling salt water on those that grow in sidewalk and driveway cracks. A flame-weeder tool applies direct heat to weeds and can be found at most garden stores.

Homemade pesticides made from soapy water, garlic spray or vegetable oil with a mild soap effectively keep insects away without spreading hazardous chemicals around your home.