Obese Connection

A research published in Toxicology in Vitro states that scientists from the University of Georgia have reported of obesity’s connection to everyday products such as plastic, soap and nail polish. The findings say that phthalates found in these products may affect the amount of fat stored in the body.

Research shows that phthalates are harmful for people’s health and previous studies indicated that phthalate levels are found in human fluids. Therefore, scientists wanted to investigate the role of benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) behind the accumulation of fat in cells. Researchers thus used mouse cells to create in vitro models to analyse how BBP affected oils and fats, known as lipids, within the cells.

Researchers used traditional staining methods so that they can be assessed under a microscope. Additionally, they used a new technique known as cellomics high-content analysis. The results of BBP were then compared with bisphenol A (BPA), an environmental endocrine disruptor that is known for its role in adipogenesis, or how fat cells develop. It was noticed that both chemicals prompt the accumulation of lipid droplets. However, the droplets from BBP-treated cells were larger which led to the conclusion that BBP is responsible for obesity.