OBESITY is becoming a health crisis across the globe – are chemicals and dust in our homes partly to blame?

Recent studies have suggested substances dubbed “obesogens” – found in packaging, plastics, household goods and furniture – can alter our hormones to buildup fat in the body.

Getty – Contributor Some household chemicals are thought to be contributing to the obesity crisis

The most recent report made a bold claim that “removing shoes when entering the house to avoid bringing in contaminants” and “removing or minimising carpet at home” could help people stay slim.

The Portuguese study also suggests reducing the amount of plastics in the home, avoiding cleaning products where possible, frequently hoovering and buying fresh food over processed products will help banish obesogens from the home.

Lead author Dr Ana Catarina Sousa, of the Universities of Aveiro and Beira Interior, said: “Obesogens can be found almost everywhere, and our diet is a main source of exposure, as some pesticides and artificial sweeteners are obesogens.

“Equally, they are present in plastics and home products, so completely reducing exposure is extremely difficult – but to significantly reduce it is not only feasible, but also very simple.”

Getty – Contributor Some chemicals found in household dust are considered ‘obesogens’

So, what exactly are obesogens and are they making you fat?

Chemicals that enter our body and alter the way our body stores fat are referred to as obesogens.

They programme our cells in two ways; first they promote fat accumulation through increasing the number of fat cells, or they make it more difficult for us to lose weight by changing our ability to burn calories.

But experts are sceptical of the role they actually play in obesity.

Getty – Contributor Chemical used in non-stick frying pans have also been linked to growing waistlines

As Prof Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, told The Guardian: “For some medical reasons, such as protection against allergies, yes, it’s advised to keep a dust-free home and so, too, is removing shoes to avoid bringing in dirt from outside, but these things will not make you a healthy weight.

“Only a balanced diet and regular exercise will do that.”

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Prof Richard Sharpe, a scientist at the Centre for Reproductive Biology at the Queen’s Medical Research Institute in Edinburgh, added: “While it’s not possible to dismiss the hypothesis that certain environmental chemicals to which we are exposed could perturb [or] reset body regulatory systems so as to predispose to obesity, I remain unconvinced that obesogens are likely to be important players in the obesity epidemic.”

Obesity levels in the UK have more than trebled in the last 30 years and, on current estimates, more than half the population could be obese by 2050, according to the NHS.

About 27 per cent of the UK population is considered obese and a further 34 per cent are considered overweight, according to the latest Government statistics.

Previous studies have also suggested exposure to household dust increases your chances of being fat.

Getty – Contributor But experts are sceptical, saying poor diet and a lack of exercise is more likely to be the cause of obesity,

A US study from Duke University last year suggested dust from flame retardants in sofas and carpets, as well as phthalates, substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility, harbours hormone-disrupting chemicals that can trigger the body to store fat.

Dr Christopher Kassotis who led the research published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, said: “We were most surprised by how low the concentrations were that we saw as having an effect.”

And in February a study from Harvard University found perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), chemicals used in non-stick pots and pans, mattresses, carpets and even clothes, caused weight gain.

The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, found those with higher levels of the chemical in their blood tended to have slower metabolisms.

People with a slower metabolism burn fewer calories during normal daily activities and may have to eat less to avoid becoming overweight.

Senior author Prof Qi Sun said: “Now, for the first time, our findings have revealed a novel pathway through which PFASs might interfere with human body weight regulation and thus contribute to the obesity epidemic.”