Xenoestrogens

[Guest guest]

Beware: The "Xenoestrogens" Have Arrived JoAnn Guest Jan 18, 2005 21:35 PST ==================================================================================================================================== Dr. Dan Harper, MD Sounds like something from "The Body Snatchers". A few years back, anarticle appeared in that scientific magazine called Newsweek. In it, a high school girl in her science fair project told how that compounds called "xenoestrogens" were being absorbed by the foods placed in plastic containers or Saran wrap, and then taken up by the body when ingested, doing major damage. These "xenoestrogens" ('altered-female-hormones')are very similar to free-radicals, zapping everything they come in contact with, then enter the liver where they wreak havoc on the "detoxification enzymes", then wander nonchalantly into the various tissues of the body where they begin

"over-feminizing" them. Wonder why the 2nd graders look like something in the Miss America pageant? They go on to "accelerate" breast cancer in those who have such a tendency, and would you believe they have the audacity to fool around with the prostate. In the past, ( old-timers always start our sentences that way—"in the past", or "when I was young"), breast cancer was a disease of 60 or 70 year old women. I never heard of anyone with prostate problems until 20 years ago and now we've all got it (males, that is). I'm sure there's no connection, right? When I was young, one in fifty developed cancer in their lifetime, now it's one in two. (I don't think it's due to doctors being any smarter and finding cancer earlier). The bad news is that "xenoestrogens" are not only in plastics, but its in the hormones the stockmen and farmers use to "fatten up" the animals for market—beef, chicken, turkey,

pork…that's why you want to harvest your own meats or get grass- fed or organic meats to avoid these products. They fatten us up, too. These little "chemicals" also do a number on the "immune system" in general, setting up all kinds of cancers, and a number of autoimmune disorders — fibromyalgias, chronic fatigue, thyroid problems, multiple sclerosis, prostate enlargement, and the list goes on. So, what do we do? Boycott the new KFC? They just got here—it ain't their fault. A letter writing campaign to Congress to shut down Saran Wrap? Naw, save your ink, the politicians can't read anyway. They only know how to gab. The first step is to remember you are what you eat. (Brings back memories of the Twinkie eating cop in Die Hard). It is best to shop for foods around the periphery of the grocery store, getting the fresh, raw produce. An even better approach is to order organic produce from some

of the local co-op people [editor's note: some of you might not know what a co-op is, so let me explain. People who are tired of eating food filled with chemicals or food from factory farms that abuse this planet get together and form a co-operative store which is run by volunteers. They order, sell, and deal in organic foods (many in bulk), healthy supplements, hair and skin care products that are less toxic, and cleaning supplies that are less toxic. This is the power and magic of people working together for a common good], or products from "Timeless Seeds" or "Seeds of Change". We also have local organic ranchers producing beef and pork without all the harmful toxins. I hear so many complain,"it costs more", but how much is your chemotherapy or heart by-pass or silk-lined coffin going to cost? If your body has already suffered from the effects of these xenoestrogens, your liver needs to be

"detoxified" to begin handling this and other poisons before it's too late. I know of two oral detoxification processes, as well as an IV method that is quicker. Once the detoxification has occurred, don't make it worse by putting the same junk into your body that caused the poisoning in the first place. (Sounds like Proverbs, where the dog returns to its vomit.) Now comes one of the strangest parts of the article—progesterone. I have found that both men and women need progesterone in levels the average American isn't getting. All you ladies have put up with me suggesting Progesterone cream for hot flashes, mood swings, depression, fibromyalgias, chronic fatigue,…ad nauseum…you name it, I suggested it.Recently, I read how that progesterone is the precursor of estrogens in females and testosterone in males, and that low levels of progesterone may lead to miscarriage in females and infertility in males.

Then another article told how the human body begins to convert that 'progesterone' into "cortisol", needed to make "adrenaline" to deal with stress. (Stress? isn't that the theme of the newsletter that sent you here?) The readings went on to reveal how "carbohydrate metabolism", "thyroid production", "serotonin and dopamine" functions in the brain, "lipid metabolism", "immune functions"…all depend on progesterone to function correctly. If the "stress" has 'stolen' all the "progesterone" to make 'cortisol' to keep you going in stressful situations, that explains some of the fatigue, depression, rise in blood sugars and fats, frequent infection, when we are near a "burn out" state. One of the things needed to deal with this stressful state is more progesterone. Fortunately, there are some good progesterone products on the market that are made from Wild Yams. The best are "micronized"

and are readily absorbed through the skin when applied on the abdomen, legs, or arms. The local pharmacies carry a product called "Life-Flo", 2- Js has one called "Fem Crème", and then there's the multi-level marketing company Matol Botanical Products that you can find on the net; all have good results in most people. If one doesn't seem to be working, try another preparation. (That's why we have both Anusol and Preparation H, some work better for one than the other.) Anyway, back to the story. It is the imbalance of estrogen to progesterone ratio that sets up the breast cancer or uterine cancer in the women.It is this imbalance of estrogens to progesterone in the male that causes prostate problems. This imbalance contributes to heart disease and autoimmune diseases in both sexes (doesn't want to show any favoritism —afraid of lawsuits about discrimination, I reckon.) So, now that I've beat

this dead horse enough…let me just caution you to rethink the foods you buy, as well as their storage and the types of containers your beverages come in. (Aluminum for Alzheimer's and Plastic for Poison). I'm sure they sneak in other ways (a quick trip to the internet or library will reveal those), but if your liver is healthy and you have enough progesterone, you might just live to see another day. By the way, may that day be a special one. http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/cancer1/xeno.htmXenoestrogens and Women's Health by Sandra Steinbraber and Kathryn Patton =========================================================================================================================================Manufactured from cholesterol by a woman's ovaries each month, the hormone called estrogen circulates

in he blood, passes easily in and out of all organs and tissues and is eventually metabolised by enzymes in the liver Certain tissues in a woman's body, however, contain "receptors" that latch onto estrogen molecules as they float through her body. During the few hours when estrogen molecules are bound to the receptors, the cells of these "target tissues" are stimulated to proliferate. The cells of the vagina, the uterus and the breast all contain large numbers of estrogen receptors. In the presence of estrogen, they grow. A few years ago, cell biologist Dr. Ana Soto was working out the biochemical details of estrogenm sensitivity -- and its relationship to breast cancer when something puzzling happened in her Tufts University laboratory. Tissues growing in plastic dishes containing no estrogens started "proliferating". "This indicated that some type of contamination had occurred, "Soto

remembered. "We made an accidental discovery." Soto traced the 'contamination' to the plastic tubes-- she was using to store blood serum. Working with her colleague Carlos Sonnenschein, Soto purified the contaminant-- and identified it as "nonylphenol", a chemical added during the manufacture of plastic to prevent it from cracking. They discovered molecules of nonylphenol were being shed from the tubes into the serum. Soto and Sonnenscheinwent on to prove that nonylphenol is estrogenic - that is, -- it mimics the effect of estrogen when added to tissues containing estrogen receptors. In a series of experiments published in 1991, Soto demonstrated that human breast tissue "proliferates" in the presence of nonylphenol, possibly placing it on the path to tumour formation. Soto and Sonnenschein's research is now focused on quantifying the estrogenicity of nonylphenol and other substances.

These chemicals are being termed xenoestrogens: substances foreign to the human body that, directly or indirectly, act like estrogens. Xenoestrogens are a hot area of research right now among biochemists,epidemiologists, cancer researchers andendocrinologists because of their ability to interfere with the normal process of hormonal "regulation" in women's bodies. Xenoestrogens are being implicated in many reproductive disorders, ranging from infertility and endometriosis to breast and ovarian cancer. And, as increasing numbers of chemicals are demonstrated to function as xenoestrogens, scientists are beginning to learn just how amazingly estrogenic the industrialised world is. Nonylphenol,for example, is not only found in plastic but is also an additive in detergents and pesticides. According to Soto, over 450 million pound on nonylphenols are produced each year. Nonylphenol is also

an ingredient in spermicides.The banned pesticide DDT is a xenoestrogen. So is the unbanned pesticide endosulphan. So is atrazine, the most commonly used weed killer in US cornfields. So is DES, the drug given to millions of women from 1948 to 1972 to prevent miscarriages (which it didn't). And so are dozens of different combustion products emitted from coal-burning power plants and automobile exhaust pipes. To understand the impact of xenoestrogens on women's health - we have discovered through our investigation - one has to become a bit of an endocrinologist, chemist, and historian. Like all steroid hormones (primarily reproductive related hormones), estrogen has a "backbone" made up of 17 carbon atoms arranged as three hexagons interlocked with a pentagon. Estrogen can exist in one of several modified forms, and each form has its own chemical name. The most potent form produced by the ovaries is

called "estradiol". Blood levels of estradiol rise steadily during the first half of a woman's menstrual cycle. All cells of the body are permeable to estradiol. However, most estradiol is carried in the blood on special sex-hormone binding proteins. These carrier protins regulate and slow down the entry of estradiol molecules into surrounding tissues. This feature turns outto be important because many xenoestrogens are not carried on these molecules and can therefore enter cells more quickly and at low concentration. Whenestradiol enters the cell of a target tissue such as the breast or the lining of the uterus and is bound by an estorgen receptor, the story becomes more mysterious. Just 10 years ago, scientists learned that these receptors are themselves attached to the coiling strands of DNA where our genes lie like beads on a string. When attached to estradiol, the receptor triggers a

change in"gene expression" Depending on the type oftissue, some genes may be turned on; differentproteins may be manufactured; the rate of"cell division" may accelerate (cancer)The exact mechanisms of acion is still an ongoing subject of research. What is known for sure is that at some point, the receptoris "processed" and the estrogen molecule released. Meanwhile, in the liver, estradiol molecules carried in by the bloodstream are broken down. Thereare two different chemical routes that estradiol molecules can take here. The first one alters carbonatom number 2 and converts estradiol into a compoundcalled 2-hydroxyestrone. The second pathway alters carbon atom number 16, producing a metabolite called 16-beta-estriol. The proportion of 2 to 16 turns out to be critical. The"16-metabolite"is still estrogenic: it can recirculate through a woman's body and bind to estrogen receptors just like

its parent, estradiol. Moreover, it is capable of directly damaging the DNA strand. In contrast, the 2-metabolite is minimally estrogenic and is non-toxic to DNA.Clearly, a low 16 to 2 ratio is desirable. Some xenoestrogens act to"skew"this balance away from 2 and towards the 16 pathway, as we shall see. Now enter xenoestrogens. And to explain their entry, we need a bit of chemical history During World War II, legions of organic chemists were put to work by their governments to solve wartime problems. The pesticide DDT, for example, was perfected and developed as a means to control body lice and, therefore, typhus. Herbicides 2,4-D and2,4,5-F were developed as chemical defoliants for fighting jungle warfare.These new chemicals were synthetic, meaning they are derived from petroleum and manufactured in a laboratory. Whole new classes of chemicals not found in nature were thus created.

Organochlorines, of which DDT and PCB's are two, are made by attaching chlorine atoms to carbon chains, for example. While chlorine and carbon are common elements of the natural world, they are almost never found bonded together. At the end of the war, the US government helped the petrochemical industry to find private markets for their products. DDT was used for mosquito and agricultural pest control. Chemical defoliants were used in national forests to control shrubs. Lawn, garden and household insecticides were developed. Detergents replaced soaps. Plastics replaced celluloid. And 50 Years LaterBecause they are derived from oil, most of these synthetic products are, like"steroid hormones"-fat-soluble. This means that, rather than leaving the body (as they would if they were water-soluble),these synthetic products"accumulate"in areas of the body where fat content is high - for

example, breasts. Moreover, any of them, like steroid hormones, consist of interlocking hexagonal rings of carbon atoms. Given that these new chemicals share these properties with steroid hormones, one might reasonably wonder why their potential to wreak havoc with our reproductive systems was not considered sooner. There are doubtlessmany reasons. Sexism would be one starting point. The prevailing ideology of the Cold War would be another. Rachel Carson was one of the first scientists to raise questions about DDT. Her 1962 book, Silent Spring, was accused by industry chemists of threatening the Free World's food supply. But yet another answer resides in the nature of estrogenicity itself: it is a far sneakier concept than even many scientists concerned with the issue had imagined. First, the estrogen receptor is turning out to be far less"specific"than anyone imagined.

Carboncompounds quite different-looking from estradiol are able to"attach"to it. Soto points out that scientists cannot predict whether a chemical can attach to estrogen receptors purely from the shape of the molecule. Estrogen receptors are like locks that accept many different keys. DDT for example, has only two hexagonal rings and yet is able to bind directly to the receptor. Second, xenoestrogens have many modes of operation. Not all of them latch on to estrogen receptors. Some simply stimulate the manufacture of more estrogen receptor molecules. More receptors mean an amplified response to the estradiol naturally floating through a woman's body, which may place her at a higher risk for breast cancer. Still other xenoestrogens act in the liver to accelerate the metabolism of estradiol toward the 16-metabolite and away from the 2 pathway. More 16-beta-estriol means more bio-available estrogen and more

damage to DNA. The weed killer atrazine seems to have this effect. The first clue that estrogens might play a role in breast cancer came in 1896 when a British surgeon reported that removal of the ovaries sometimes caused breast tumours to shrink. Since then, many different studies indicate that a woman's risk of breast cancer is related to her lifetime exposure to estrogen. Early first menstruation, late menopause, and late or no childbirth are all considered risk factors. However,these factors explain only a portion of the increasing rates of breast cancer, which in North America has nearly tripled since 1950. The firstwell-documented study that established a preliminary link between pesticide exposure and breast cancer came only recently. InApril 1993, 31 years after the publication of Carson's Silent Spring, biochemist Dr. Mary Wolff at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York reported

that women diagnosed with breast cancer had significantly higher concentrations of DDT in their blood than women without breast cancer. At the same time, other researchers began reporting their results on how DDT and estrogen affect the growth of breast cells in laboratory cultures. Dr. Leon Bradlow at Cornell University reported at a breast cancer conference in October 1995 that pesticide residues induce "anchorage independence" in breast tumour cultures. This means that tumour cells can continue dividing even when detached from other cells, a feature that allows breast cancer to spread in the body. Wolff and Bradlow are currently collaborating on a project that investigates exactly how xenoestrogens like DDT place breast tissue on the pathway to tumour formation. Soto is presently working on developing an assay that would allow a woman's total body burden on xenoestrogens to be measured.

This may provide the most comprehensive indicator to date of the relationship between environmental estrogens and breast cancer. Recent studies also link xenoestrogens to ovarian cancer. Because the raw material for estrogen production is cholesterol, the ovary, like the breast, is a"repository"of fat-soluble 'contaminants'.Dioxin, for example, has been found in the fluid surrounding human eggs extracted for test-tube fertilisation. Studies done in 1989 showed that estrogen increases the rate of growth of ovarian tumour cells by 50% compared to those not treated with estrogen. In the same year, Italian researchers studying the health and habits of women farmers in northern Italy discovered that women farmers exposed to triazine herbicides, such as atrazine, had a three to fourtimes higher risk for ovarian cancer. Both these lines of research suggests that triazine herbicides may be acting as

xenoestrogens in the ovaries, a hypothesis that has been supported by more recent research. However, many of the existing reports suffer from small sample sizes, difficulty determining actual exposures, and lack of control groups. Further research on the precise actions of herbicides in the ovaries is also needed.In the meantime, what should the fate of triazine herbicides by? Germany banned the agricultural use of atrazine in 1991. In the Midwestern United States, atrazine continues to run off farm fields and into ground and surface water. Much of what is known about xenoestrogens' impact on fertility and reproduction comes from animal studies. Wildlife biologist Dr. Theo. Colburn had conducted long-term and intensive studies of animals living in the Great lakes Basin. This is highly contaminated with organochlorines from chemical industries and pulp and paper mills, which use great amounts of

chlorine bleach. He research documents that many animal species living near water - eagles, mink, fish and various shore birds - are unable to reproduce successfully due to high body burdens of various xenoestrogens.Colburn is currently at work on elucidating what she calls "the human/wildlife connection". She is particularly interested in considering a possible link between estrogenic pollutants and falling sperm counts in men. She also suspects xenoestrogens could be contributing to the 400% increase in ectopic (outside the uterus) pregnancies between 1970 and 1987 A separate line of research is focused on xenoestrogens and endometriosis. This disease causes pieces of the uterine lining to attach and grow outside the uterus, causing pain and often infertility. Exposure to PCB's has been shown to cause endometriosis in female monkeys.In November 1995, researchers reported that monkeys

exposed to dioxin also develop significantly higher levels of endometriosis. Dioxin is a contaminant in many pesticides and is also formed during many industrial processes that use chlorine. Strangely enough, unlike other xenoestrogens, dioxin seems to counteract rather than magnify the effects of estradiol. Some researchers believe that dioxin may blockade the estrogen receptors, preventing estrogen molecules from attaching.The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning further research on the possible link between dioxin and endometriosis in women. The flurry of research interest now surrounding xenoestrogens did not just develop on its own. Indeed, most scientific investigations do not just happen. Which questions are deemed important, which projects receive funding, which studies are followed up - these are all political issues. In the case of xenoestrogens, many environmental and

women's health activists have been at work behind the scenes - and sometimes in the streets - to insist that particular questions be asked and answered. For example, the Endometriosis Association, a women's advocacy group, sponsored the study on dioxin mentioned above. In October 1995, Long Island activists convened their own scientific conference on breast cancer and the environment. In the same month, the American Public Health Association called for the elimination of chlorine in manufacturing, citing its' role in the creation of xenoestrogens and the threat to women's health. There are other signs of change. Breast cancer activists in San Francisco succeeded in adding a panel on breast cancer and the environment to the program at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in February 1994. Green peace and the Women's Environment and Development

Organisation (WEDO) headed by Bella Abzug, recently met with women's health activist in Austin, Texas, to launch a joint initiative called "Women, Cancer and the Environment". Ana Soto's accidental discovery and her subsequent research shed light on possible environmental intervention to prevent breast cancer. Soto said she hoped that her work will help develop a more ecological view of human health, understanding that pollutants in water, soil, air - and even plastic tubes - eventually find their way into our bodies. "Molecular biology is not enough. We can't understand the additive effects of xenoestrogens by only looking at genes... Banned pesticides are still found in the foods that we eat." Sandra Steingrabe is a visiting scholar at North-eastern University with a PhD in biology. She is the author of "Post Diagnosis", a book of poetry on women's cancers, and is currently writing a book

on cancer and the environment to be published by Addison Wesley in 1996. Kathryn Patton has participated in cancer research projects at the University of Washington Medical Centre and is considering a career in oncology. Reprinted from Sojourner: The Women's Forum. Subscription is $21 per year for 12 issues. 42 Seaverns Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts USA 02130. --- End forwarded message ------ReducingYour Risk of Exposure to Chemicals from Plastics---These simple steps will help you reduce the use of plastics for food packaging and storage. Since plastics are more or less unavoidable in certain instances, you may wish to use only these less toxic plastics: #1 PETE, #2 HDPE, #4 LDPE and #5 PP <http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/education/quicklist-detail.asp?Main_ID=53>. These plastics leak chemicals into foods:Packaging· Choose refillable containers! Glass, for example, can be re-used for food storage. · Choose packaging that’s made from truly recyclable materials: paper, glass, metal cans. (Purchasing recycled paper products completes the recycling loop!) · Bring your own container to salad bars, yogurt shops, etc. - any place you’ll be served in plastic! · Buy in bulk, whenever possible. It’s the least-packaged option. · For wrapped foods, choose butcher paper, waxed paper or cellulose bags. · Bring cloth bags to your supermarket to carry groceries home. · Choose #1 (PETE) or #2 (HDPE) whenever plastic cannot be avoided! These are the most

commonly recycled plastics. · Avoid plastics that aren’t readily recyclable: #3 (PVC), #4 (LDPE), #5 (PP), #6 (PS), #7 (often polycarbonate). · Avoid single-use, disposable packaging.Storage· Avoid plastics that leach questionable chemicals: #3 (PVC), #6 (PS), #7 (often polycarbonate). · Avoid plastic cutlery and dinnerware. Use stainless steel utensils and look for recycled paper products.· When purchasing cling-wrapped foods from the supermarket or deli, slice off a thin layer where the food came into contact with the plastic and store the rest in a glass or ceramic container, or non-PVC cling wrap. · See the Plastics Product Chart (PDF) <http://www.checnet.org/healthehouse/pdf/plasticchart.pdf> to help you identify which brands of plastic containers and wraps

are safer.In addition to shopping with these things in mind, you can also write a letter to manufacturers of food and drink packaged in plastics, indicating your concern about plastics and how they negatively impact our health, our children’s health, and the health of our environment - especially if their packaging is #3, #6, #7.Tell them you are actively seeking products packaged in safe, reusable glass, metal, recycled paper, as well as bulk-packaged items that use resources most efficiently. Contact manufacturers through their toll-free question/comment, usually listed on the back of the product, and ask for a mailing address. _______________JoAnn Guest mrsjo- DietaryTi- http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Genes AIM Barleygreen "Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future" http://www.geocities.com/mrsjoguest/Diets.html