Endocrine disruptors: learn more in 5 minutes

We know that endocrine disruptors are harmful, and yet... it is difficult to avoid them in our daily lives. Here is the advice of Marion Baudet, a nutritherapist specialising in women's health and hormones.

Hello Marion! You have been studying endocrine disruptors for several years. To help us understand them better, let's start at the beginning: can you explain what a hormone is?

A hormone is a chemical messenger that is produced by glands in our body such as the ovaries, thyroid, or adrenal glands. This messenger is sent to one or more of our organs, and **acts on their behavior.** For example: cortisol, which is the stress hormone, is secreted by the adrenal glands to help our body react in an emergency situation. This messenger will disperse in our body and generate (among other things) a surge of sugar in the blood, which will be converted into energy and directed to our leg muscles so that we can flee faster in the face of danger.

Other known hormones include oestrogen, insulin, progesterone... and many others!

What are the natural factors that influence our hormones in normal times?

Hormonal mechanisms are sensitive to changes in our daily lives: changes in lifestyle, lack of sleep, physical exercise... and of course, diet. This is my speciality: as a nutritherapist, I help everyone, especially women, to take care of their hormones and therefore their bodies through food.

In women, the menstrual cycle in particular induces variations in hormones and triggers specific needs, which can be met through diet. During our periods, for example, the body is engaged in an intense process of eliminating the endometrium. It can be interesting to eat iron-rich foods to compensate for the iron we lose at that time.

Endocrine disruptors also affect our hormones. Can you explain how?

An endocrine disruptor is a substance that is not naturally present in our body, and that looks like our hormones. We absorb them through our food, through the air we breathe, through the products we use every day... The danger is that our bodies can be fooled: endocrine disruptors graft themselves onto the hormone receptors of our cells instead of our natural chemical messengers, and"scramble the communication" between our organs. They even have a direct impact on the production of our natural hormones by interfering with their synthesis mechanism.

What are the consequences for our health?

Under the action of endocrine disruptors, our receptor cells, and therefore our organs, begin to behave in an abnormal way. This can lead to a wide range of health problems, from the mildest, such as general fatigue, to the most serious, such as cancer or endometriosis. This disease now affects 10% of women of childbearing age in France and xenoestrogens (endocrine disruptors that mimic our oestrogens) are widely suspected of promoting it.

Mothers and mothers-to-be, if you are concerned about the issue of endocrine disruptors, find a complete article here, based on our interview with Élisabeth Latour de Mareuil, midwife for over 35 years, homeopath and author of books for the medical profession.

If endocrine disruptors are absorbed in very small doses, is it less dangerous?

Unfortunately not! Because they mimic the way our natural hormones work, which themselves work in very small doses, it only takes trace amounts of endocrine disruptors to throw off our bodies. In fact, think of it as an allergy: if you're allergic to peanuts, it only takes one to trigger a violent reaction in your body - you don't have to swallow the whole package for problems to occur...

How can we spot them in our everyday products?

The worrying thing about endocrine disruptors is that they are everywhere! These substances, mainly from the agro-chemical industry, are used in the manufacture of many of our everyday products and objects, and they also remain in the environment for a long time when they are released with our waste. And it is very difficult to find reliable information about them. For example, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) reported in 2019 that more than 70% of the chemicals manufactured in Europe lack testing or information on their potential toxicity!

So, how do we go about it? First of all, we need to know the main suspects that are generally found in our products, namely: synthetic ingredients such as bisphenols, phthalates and parabens. As soon as we see them on the labels of our products, it should alert us. Then, we have to keep an eye on the plastic! It's not only for the planet that it represents a danger: it's in plastic packaging that we will most often find bisphenol, phthalates... That's why, even if it seems surprising, tap water is a better option than bottled water - even for babies. Just make sure you invest in a good water filter.

Finally, when it comes to food, it is better to favour organic food, since the pesticide residues found on our food can also be endocrine disruptors.

What are the best ways to rid your bathroom of endocrine disruptors?

Again, the solution is to read the labels - which means choosing brands that are transparent about their composition. These are the main substances to be avoided:

• sulphates, foaming agents often found in our shampoos under the name "sodium lauryl sulphates
• Silicones, also added to our shampoos to artificially coat the hair. On the label, they are often found under names ending in "-methicone" or "-siloxane."
• triclosan, an antibacterial and inveterate squatter in our toothpastes and deodorants
• phthalates, which are largely banned but still sometimes exist as fixing agents, particularly in perfumes and nail polish
• additives such as BHA, BHT, and UV filters such as benzophenone.

As we all know, it's not easy to find your way around, so as with food, the best thing to do is to start with a simple first step: favour natural or organic cosmetic brands - this also applies to natural perfumes, of course. The good news is that this often goes hand in hand with products that are more respectful of the planet!

And transparent! That's what we 're all about at Bastille. Another frequently asked question is: if I buy my beauty products at the drugstore, am I guaranteed to avoid endocrine disruptors?

Unfortunately, no. Always check the composition of your products! You can find interesting brands like Même in pharmacies - which are very careful about their composition because their products are intended for women with cancer - but this is not the case for all of them: remain vigilant.

Do you have any advice for women who want to stop taking the pill?

The pill is a synthetic imitation of our hormones, which makes our brain believe that we have enough sex hormones in our blood to block their natural production. The result: no ovulation and therefore no natural cycle. In this sense, it is of course an endocrine disruptor, and when we stop it, we have to help our body to restart naturally. For example, the pill requires a lot of work from the liver, one of whose functions is to filter the blood to remove hormones that have been used up or are present in too large quantities.

The pill is a lot of work for the liver! When you stop taking it, your liver is often knocked out, which can contribute to a lot of unpleasantness, such as post-pill acne. To give it a hand, you need to eat enough protein, for example. They should represent 25% of our plate at each meal. They can be animal or vegetable, but be careful: a certain number of amino acids essential to the liver (such as cystine) are found almost exclusively in animal products.

Finally, what are the signs that can alert us to possible hormonal imbalances?

In women, disturbed cycles - heavy, particularly long or short periods, painful, non-existent - but also gynaecological diseases such as endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome, fibroids, hypo- or hyperthyroidism, acne problems, irritability, crying spells, chronic fatigue, abnormal hair loss, weight variations... All this should alert us. The list is long, because the body is a very complex mechanism - and we should not forget that the symptoms can go beyond what we generally associate with our hormones: for example, disturbed sleep or difficult waking can also be a sign of hormonal imbalances. The key is to listen to your body, and not hesitate to ask your GP to investigate if necessary!

You still have questions? Do not hesitate to contact Marion Baudet's website.

Photos: Marion Baudet, Louise Le Chat, Stephanie Russo