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Controversies in Obesity pp 97–102Cite as

Childhood Obesity and the Environment

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Abstract

The rising rate of infant obesity presents the biggest challenge to diet- and lifestyle-based explanations for the obesity epidemic. Although the hypothesis that everyday exposure to chemicals may contribute to risk of obesity is controversial, there is pharmaceutical proof of concept from diabetes drugs in humans and diethylstilboestrol in a mouse model. Chemical exposure also complicates the role of obesity in the etiology of diabetes and cancer. Given that no chemical has been tested for obesogenicity before being brought to market, it is overly hasty to dismiss the obesogen hypothesis as a “green scare.”

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cancer Prevention and Education Society, 6 West Street, Axminster, Devon, EX13 5NX, UK

    Paul A. Whaley BA, MLitt

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  1. Paul A. Whaley BA, MLitt
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Correspondence to Paul A. Whaley BA, MLitt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Watton Place Clinic, Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom

    David W. Haslam

  2. Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    Arya M. Sharma

  3. Department of Pathology, Diabetes Complications Research Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Carel W. le Roux

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Whaley, P.A. (2014). Childhood Obesity and the Environment. In: Haslam, D., Sharma, A., le Roux, C. (eds) Controversies in Obesity. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2834-2_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2834-2_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2833-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2834-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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