{"id":7997,"date":"2026-09-29T12:37:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T10:37:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/?p=7997"},"modified":"2026-09-29T12:37:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T10:37:33","slug":"could-pollutants-be-contributing-to-your-fatigue","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/could-pollutants-be-contributing-to-your-fatigue\/","title":{"rendered":"Could pollutants be contributing to your fatigue?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-columns stk-block-columns stk-block stk-a53d7ad\" data-block-id=\"a53d7ad\"><div class=\"stk-row stk-inner-blocks stk-block-content stk-content-align stk-a53d7ad-column\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-d0dcfc9\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"d0dcfc9\"><style>@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.stk-d0dcfc9 {flex:var(--stk-flex-grow, 1) 1 25% !important;}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-d0dcfc9-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-d0dcfc9-inner-blocks\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-47dc05d\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"47dc05d\"><style>@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.stk-47dc05d {flex:var(--stk-flex-grow, 1) 1 50% !important;}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-47dc05d-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-47dc05d-inner-blocks\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-1024x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7998\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN-45x45.png 45w, https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Pollutants-Fatigue-EN.png 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-stackable-column stk-block-column stk-column stk-block stk-9dd128c\" data-v=\"4\" data-block-id=\"9dd128c\"><style>@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.stk-9dd128c {flex:var(--stk-flex-grow, 1) 1 25% !important;}}<\/style><div class=\"stk-column-wrapper stk-block-column__content stk-container stk-9dd128c-container stk--no-background stk--no-padding\"><div class=\"stk-block-content stk-inner-blocks stk-9dd128c-inner-blocks\"><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Summer is often associated with healthy-looking hair. Longer days, more sunshine, outdoor activities, and increased vitamin D production should, in theory, create the ideal conditions for strong, shiny hair. Fatigue is not always just about sleep, stress or lifestyle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some everyday environmental pollutants may interact with our hormonal system \u2014 potentially affecting pathways involved in <strong>energy, metabolism and overall well-being<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microplastics, phthalates, bisphenols and heavy metals are among the pollutants being investigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Plastic exposure is everywhere<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that can enter our environment and food chain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They have been detected in <strong>food, drinking water and even fruits and vegetables<\/strong>. Some exposure may also come from plastic packaging and food-storage materials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concern is not simply the plastic itself: plastics can also expose us to chemicals such as <strong>phthalates and bisphenols<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>When pollutants interfere with hormones<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Phthalates and bisphenols are widely used chemicals that can behave as <strong>endocrine disruptors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research has found associations between exposure to certain phthalates or BPA and changes in hormones including <strong>thyroid hormones, IGF-1, estradiol and testosterone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because hormones play an important role in energy and metabolism, environmental exposure is an interesting factor to consider when looking at persistent fatigue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>BPA: more than a plastic problem<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the best-known endocrine-disrupting chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research reviewed in the presentation links BPA exposure with effects involving <strong>reproductive, metabolic and neurobehavioral functions<\/strong>, with estrogen pathways appearing to play an important role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other studies have also reported associations between BPA exposure and altered thyroid or reproductive hormone levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Association does not necessarily mean causation \u2014 but it gives us good reason to reduce unnecessary exposure.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What about heavy metals?<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Environmental exposure isn&#8217;t limited to plastics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Heavy metals such as <strong>lead and cadmium<\/strong>&nbsp;can also enter the food chain. The presentation highlights that contamination can vary considerably depending on the type of food and how it is processed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is another reason why food quality, sourcing and processing deserve attention when thinking about long-term health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Reduce exposure where you can<\/strong><strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You cannot eliminate environmental pollutants completely \u2014 but you can reduce unnecessary exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose <strong>glass, ceramic or stainless steel<\/strong>&nbsp;for food storage when possible. Limit plastic contact with food, particularly plastic kitchen utensils and heavily plastic-wrapped foods. Consider appropriate water filtration and favour less processed foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Persistent fatigue deserves a comprehensive approach.<\/strong>&nbsp;Alongside sleep, nutrition, stress and hormonal health, environmental exposure may be another piece of the puzzle.<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Summer is often associated with healthy-looking hair. Longer days, more sunshine, outdoor activities, and increased vitamin D production should, in theory, create the ideal conditions for strong, shiny hair. Fatigue is not always just about sleep, stress or lifestyle. Some everyday environmental pollutants may interact with our hormonal system \u2014 potentially affecting pathways involved in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7998,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"yes","footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[149,385,384,386,387,369,370,151,365,372,362,138,383,368,246,13,145,371],"class_list":["post-7997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-tips","tag-aging","tag-bpa","tag-bpa-microplastics","tag-co","tag-contamination","tag-deficiency","tag-dhea","tag-estrogens","tag-hair","tag-hair-growth","tag-keratin","tag-nutrition","tag-pollutants","tag-radiation","tag-skin","tag-summer","tag-thyroid","tag-vitamin-d"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7997"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7999,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7997\/revisions\/7999"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7998"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hertoghe.eu\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}