Monday April 22, 2002

Press Release

SOURCE: Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.

Chemical Toxins Contribute To Obesity Epidemic, Suggests Researcher in The Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine

LARCHMONT, N.Y.--(BW HealthWire)--April 22, 2002--Human exposure to toxic chemicals may have damaged many of the body's natural weight-control mechanisms and may play a significant role in the global obesity epidemic, according to a new study reported in the April 2002 (Volume 8, Number 2) issue of The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com).

In ``Chemical Toxins: A Hypothesis to Explain the Global Obesity Epidemic,'' author Paula F. Baillie-Hamilton, M.B., B.S., D.Phil., explains why genetic factors, overeating, and inactivity are not sufficient to explain the recent obesity epidemic and provides support for her hypothesis that environmental causes are largely responsible. The paper may be viewed free online at www.liebertpub.com/acm.

``My hypothesis explains for the first time why conventional dieting as we know it simply doesn't work, as simple food restriction fails to address what I believe to be the main causes underlying excessive weight gains,'' says Dr. Baillie-Hamilton, who is affiliated with the Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group at Stirling University, in Scotland. ``It is imperative to find out whether Dr. Baillie-Hamilton is right or not,'' says Journal Editor Kim A. Jobst, M.A., D.M. ``If not, then rapidly we can move on to examine more ideas and potential solutions. If she is right, then there are measures that must be taken, work that must be done, and changes that must be made that are so far-reaching as to be politically, socially, and academically awesome.''

Humans are exposed to tens of thousands of potentially harmful synthetic organic and inorganic chemicals in their daily lives, in the form of pesticides, dyes, pigments, perfumes, flavorings, and other products. At relatively low levels of exposure, these chemicals may promote weight gain, contends Dr. Baillie-Hamilton, by altering metabolic functions in the body. Although genetically based mechanisms regulate body weight, keeping it at a predetermined level or ``set point,'' factors such as chemical toxins that affect the functioning of hormones, neurotransmitters, and other metabolic control mechanisms, may upset this delicate balance.

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a peer-reviewed journal published bimonthly in print and online that covers current concepts in clinical care, including case reports that are valuable for healthcare professionals and scientists who are seeking to evaluate and integrate these therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Some of the key treatment options featured are: herbal medicine, nutritional and vitamin therapies, acupuncture, mind-body medicine, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, subtle energies, osteopathy, chiropractic, ayureda, and much more. A complete table of contents and free sample issue may be viewed online at www.liebertpub.com/acm.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., is a privately-held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative & Complementary Therapies, Disease Management, and the Journal of Palliative Medicine. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, books, and newsletters is available at www.liebertpub.com.


http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/020422/222500_1.htm