Xenoestrogen is a term that means “foreign” estrogens. It’s a mouthful to say, isn’t it? These are substances that mimic natural estrogens in the human body but originate from the outside environment. According to experts, these outside forms of estrogen are a growing threat to health. The concern is that xenoestrogens disrupt the endocrine system, causing a wide range of health effects that scientists don’t fully understand.
Although xenoestrogens aren’t identical in chemical structure to natural estrogens, they’re close enough that they bind to the same receptors that natural estrogens do, including those on breast and reproductive tissue. It’s easy to see how this would disrupt natural hormone balance and create health issues. Xenoestrogens masquerade as the body’s natural estrogens and increase the body’s total estrogen burden.
Are Xenoestrogens Linked to Breast Cancer?
One concern is that xenoestrogens in the environment could increase the risk of breast cancer, because they bind to estrogen receptors on breast cells and cause the cells to multiply in the same way estrogen does.
If xenoestrogens bind to tissue on the uterus, they could trigger the growth of fibroid tumors on the uterus – benign tumors caused by excess estrogen stimulation. Xenoestrogens also play a role in polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis in women. Your body can’t break down xenoestrogens either and store the excess in fat cells. So, xenoestrogens may play in obesity too.
Other potential health problems that xenoestrogens may contribute to include:
- Premature puberty in boys or girls
- Impaired sexual development
- Early or premature menopause
- Decreased sperm count and male fertility
- Increased risk of obesity
- Higher risk of prostate cancer
- Mental health issues
Where Do Xenoestrogens Come From?
Xenoestrogens are in the environment and in products we use every day. One example are the chemicals in plastic, including water bottles, wraps for food items, and plastic storage containers for leftovers. Some plastic storage containers are made with a plastic hardening substance called bis-phenol-A (BPA), a xenoestrogen and hormone disrupter based on animal studies.
When you place food or beverages in plastic containers made with BPA and the container becomes warm, some of the BPA may leech into the food or fluid and end up in your body. One study found 90% of people have 8 or more plasticizers in their body and exposure starts during infancy. With the widespread use of plastic, it’s not surprising!
Strangely enough, people who want “pure” water haul plastic containers to the grocery store and fill them with filtered water. If you fill containers with water at the grocery store, lower your exposure to xenoestrogens by using stainless steel or glass bottles instead.
Canned foods are also a source of xenoestrogens. Although cans are made of metal, they’re lined with a layer of BPA. Studies show that the BPA from the lining of cans can leach into the food. Leaching is more pronounced with acidic foods, like tomatoes. So, think twice before buying tomato soup in a BPA-lined can or any canned food.
Pesticides Are a Source of Xenoestrogens Too
One particularly strong xenoestrogen was a pesticide banned years ago called DDT. So powerful were the estrogenic properties that it was banned from the market. However, there are still pesticides in use today that are xenoestrogens. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) admits that at least 50 percent of all synthetic pesticides are “likely” or “potential” xenoestrogens — meaning they have estrogen-like effects on animals and plants.
Personal care products are another source, including cosmetics, and items like sunscreens and deodorants that you use every day. For example, one ingredient in some deodorants and antiperspirants is parabens, a chemical that helps preserve the product, but has estrogen activity in the human body.
Inside your home, you must worry about polybrominated biphenyl ethers (PBDEs), chemicals in flame retardants used in building materials, some furnishing, and the interior of motor vehicles. That new car smell, when you drive off in a new car, is a combination of flame retardant chemicals and other phthalates that also behave as xenoestrogens. So, it’s hard to completely escape the influence of xenoestrogens but you can lower your rates of exposure.
How to Limit Exposure to Xenoestrogens
Here are some steps you can take to reduce how much exposure you get to these estrogen-mimicking compounds. Here are some tips:
Read the label on all products you buy and look for references to parabens and phthalates. If a product contains phthalates, you might see words like butylparaben, methylparaben, and propylparaben on the ingredient list.
Eliminate plastic storage containers from your kitchen and replace them with glass, ceramic or stainless steel to reduce BPA and other estrogenic plasticizers.
Use cleaning products you make at home from lemon juice, vinegar, and other natural ingredients.
Do not use plastic containers in the microwave.
Buy organic fruits and vegetables or grow your own.
Avoid using chemical-based sunscreens. Use a mineral-based one instead.
Avoid canned foods. Most cans have an inner lining made of BPA.
Ditch the plastic water bottle and buy stainless steel bottles and containers
Filter your drinking water
The Bottom Line?
It’s tough to completely avoid xenoestrogens but making these changes will significantly reduce your exposure to them. Think about what you buy and encourage product makers to reduce or eliminate phthalates from their products so everyone can breathe a little easier.
References:
- Toxicol Pathol 2010 38: 110.
- Singleton DW, Khan SA. Xenoestrogen exposure and mechanisms of endocrine disruption. Front Biosci. 2003 Jan 1;8:s110-8. doi: 10.2741/1010. PMID: 12456297.
- Arch Environ Contam Toxicol. 1999 Aug;37(2):145-50.
- “Bisphenol A (BPA) Factsheet | National Biomonitoring ….” cdc.gov/biomonitoring/BisphenolA_FactSheet.html.
- Kucińska M, Murias M. Kosmetyki jako źródło narazenia na ksenoestrogeny [Cosmetics as source of xenoestrogens exposure]. Przegl Lek. 2013;70(8):647-51. Polish. PMID: 24466711.
- Słomczyńska M. Xenoestrogens: mechanisms of action and some detection studies. Pol J Vet Sci. 2008;11(3):263-9. PMID: 18942551.
- Donovan M, Tiwary CM, Axelrod D, Sasco AJ, Jones L, Hajek R, Sauber E, Kuo J, Davis DL. Personal care products that contain estrogens or xenoestrogens may increase breast cancer risk. Med Hypotheses. 2007;68(4):756-66. doi: 10.1016/j.mehy.2006.09.039. Epub 2006 Nov 28. PMID: 17127015.
- “Bisphenol A (BPA).” 26 Nov. 2021, https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-bpa/index.cfm.
- “Eight Different Plasticizers Found in 90% of People – The ….” 11 Feb. 2021, https://www.epatienthealthcare.com/eight-different-plasticizers-found-in-90-of-people/.
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