"Am I fat because of EDCs?"

Not exactly. It is true that endocrine-disrupting chemicals are dangerous to humans. But, its not true that it is the only reason people are getting large and in charge out there. There has been a lot of hype about EDCs, and it is definitely a concern - however, there are going to be your typicals that say "oh, I can't lose weight with diet and exercise because of all the chemicals out there. I have thyroid issues...blah, blah, blah." Yes, there are people that have hypothyroidism, but not many. So, for the rest of us - diet and exercise is where it's at!

Confused? Let's start over. EDCs are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that are basically...everywhere! They are substances that, either natural or synthetic, can affect hormonal systems in the body. You've heard of BPA (the dangerous substance in plastic), well that's an EDC. EDCs are found in pesticides, plastic, fuel...everything - the world is full of dangerous chemicals. The issue is that they can have dangerous effects on endocrine systems in humans including thyroid, neuroendocrine, obesity & metabolism, and insulin & glucose homeostasis. The majority of research is on animals only - rodents and monkeys, and the majority of solid research is focused on reproductive and cancerous outcomes. There are so many limitations to current research - for example, its difficult and expensive to use human subjects. Also, they can only test one EDC at a time, while in the real world we are being subjected to "mixtures." (hundreds of EDCs at once - which most likely cause very different outcomes than individual EDCs ever would).

I read the Endocrine Society's Scientific Statement on EDCs (long and boring, you're welcome) and basically, in summary - There's a bunch of shit out there, you consume it every day, rats for sure die from it, it will be a problem for generations, it effects reproduction, increases cancer, possibly causes weight gain, but more research is needed.

I did find one thing interesting - with the reproduction issues - in every study done, the EDC delayed puberty. Hasn't everyone been talking about how additives to our food are causing early onset puberty? Anywho...
I guess its important to know what you should be doing in order to protect yourself. The two easiest things you can do are the following...

1. Follow the EWG's (Environmental Working Group's) guide to buying organic. Try to go organic when purchasing anything form the "Dirty Dozen" Group - celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, blueberries, nectarines, bell peppers, spinach, kale, cherries, potatoes, and imported grapes.

2. Avoid plastic - cut down on plastic water bottles and don't let them sit in the sun, don't heat things up in the microwave in plastic containers, avoid buying foods wrapped in plastic (example - pre-packed deli meat - which you already know I think is gross)

There are other suggestions out there - decrease canned goods, only eat grass-fed beef, filter water with a carbon water filter - However, I'm not ready to take it that far. You can do what you want. I'm going to stick with the organic and anti-plastic route. If I grow antlers later, so be it!

Resources

Diamanti-Kandarakis, E., Bougignon, J., Giudice, L., Hauser, R., Prins, G., Soto, Al, Zoeller, R. & Gar, A. (2009). Endocrin-disrupting chemicals: an endocrine society scientific statement. Endocrine Reviews. 30(4): 293-342.

Perrine, S. & Hurlock, H. (2010). Why you can't lose that last 10 pounds. Wowowow. www.wowowow.com