Eliminate Chemical Calories

Synthetic Chemicals Can Make You Obese: 

Current estimates suggest that women are gaining weight at a rate of 450 grams and men at 225 grams each year, despite the many diets they undertake. Could it be true that synthetic chemicals in our food, skincare, cosmetics, detergents, and household products are making us gain weight?
The foundation for most diets today is based on the work of Drs. Newburgh and Johnston of the University of Michigan, who in the 1930s developed the theory that if a person consumes fewer calories than the body burns, the body will burn up its energy reserves. Whereas conventional calories are units of energy, Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton has coined the term "chemical calories," which provides a revolutionary new unit for measuring the weight-gain-promoting ability of chemicals.[1]

In her groundbreaking book, The Detox Diet: Eliminate Chemical Calories and Enhance Your Natural Slimming System, Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton asserts that dieting should always go hand in hand with detoxification and a plan to avoid the biggest offenders: synthetic chemicals.[2] She tackles what she believes is the root cause of weight gain, explaining that our natural weight-control system is being poisoned by the toxic chemicals we encounter in everyday life. This damage makes it increasingly difficult for our bodies to control their own weight, so we end up gaining weight even if we eat less food. The detox diet approach tells us how to avoid the most weight-promoting chemicals, or "chemical calories," in our food and around our home. It explains how we can shed our body's load of chemical calories safely and rebuild our natural slimming system.

Synthetic chemicals damage our health in two ways. First, by acute poisoning through exposure to large quantities, which induces almost immediate and often violent reactions that account for a staggering 220,000 fatalities worldwide every year. The second, more subtle way, is by long-term exposure to much lower levels—this is what Dr. Baillie-Hamilton explores in her book.[3]

The raw ingredients of synthetic chemicals (oil and coal) are products of fossilized plants and animals and are therefore made up of the same molecules that were once found in living creatures, which in turn makes them similar enough to natural materials for our bodies to recognize. However, their new properties (increased persistence, different structure, and so on) make them act in a completely unnatural way. Synthetic chemicals mimic natural substances in the body when carrying out functions. Unfortunately, many of these substances do not break down or get "switched off" after performing their functions. Instead, they keep falsely stimulating or disrupting our bodies 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.[4]

The Detox Diet links the current obesity epidemic to the toxic synthetic chemicals used in agriculture, skincare, cosmetics, and household products. Toxic synthetic chemicals are highly lipid-soluble, and when we are exposed to them, the body creates body fat to safely store those toxins it cannot process and eliminate.[5] The insecticides and herbicides known as carbamates, used to grow plants for food, cosmetics, and medicinal purposes, are also used as growth promoters in battery farms due to their ability to slow down the metabolic rate. So, the same synthetic chemicals used on our fruits and vegetables are used to increase livestock weight! Carbamates are also used in medicine to promote weight gain in humans. Pesticides can alter hormones, and a change in sex hormones can indeed cause weight gain.[6]

People are not overweight simply through their own lack of effort, such as exercise. The truth is that the finger of blame must also be pointed at toxic chemicals. It is known that toxic chemicals, even when present in very small amounts, directly damage muscles and disrupt the hormones that control their growth. Out of all the hormones affected by chemicals, those that seem most frequently under attack are our most valuable group of slimming hormones, the catecholamines. This interferes with the metabolic process and inhibits our body's own natural slimming systems.[7]

Once absorbed into our body, it does not matter if a weight-promoting chemical comes from food or cosmetics—the chemicals we cannot eliminate end up being stored in our adipose tissue (body fat) due to their high lipid solubility. Many chemicals in plastic are highly lipid-soluble and rapidly leak into lipid-rich foods (particularly dairy products and high-fat meats). By the time a product reaches you, it does not only contain what is on the label but also a lot of components that are harmful. Hence, we must be more cautious about the products we consume, especially those we intend to use consistently for a long time.

Dr. Baillie-Hamilton recommends replacing our food, skincare, cosmetics, and household products that contain toxic synthetic chemicals with organic alternatives, combined with effective detoxification. In addition, her research suggests that the highest levels of slimming nutrients are found in organically grown produce.[8]

Citations Referencing the Work

Here are selected citations from academic and scientific sources that reference Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton's hypothesis on chemical toxins and obesity, particularly her 2002 paper "Chemical Toxins: A Hypothesis to Explain the Global Obesity Epidemic":

[1] Heindel JJ, et al. (2016). "Framing the Problem - The Interplay Between Environmental Chemicals and Obesity." In Obesity: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Prevention. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK379166/
 (Cites Baillie-Hamilton's work as a foundational hypothesis linking chemicals to obesity.)

[2] Mohajer N, et al. (2019). "History of the Obesogen Field: Looking Back to Look Forward." Frontiers in Endocrinology. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6362096/
 (Reviews the origins of the obesogen concept, crediting Baillie-Hamilton's 2002 paper.)

[3] Chamorro-García R, Blumberg B. (2019). "Environmental Obesogens and Their Impact on Susceptibility to Obesity: New Mechanisms Reinforce Old Data." Endocrinology. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/endo/article/161/3/bqaa024/5739626
 (References the hypothesis in discussing chemical impacts on obesity susceptibility.)

[4] Sargis RM. (2014). "Adipocytes under assault: Environmental disruption of adipose physiology." Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Molecular Basis of Disease. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925443913001907
 (Cites the 2002 paper in exploring environmental toxins' effects on adipose tissue.)

[5] Papalou O, et al. (2024). "Obesogens in Adolescence: Challenging Aspects and Prevention Strategies." Children. Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/11/5/602
 (Discusses Baillie-Hamilton's hypothesis in the context of adolescent obesity prevention.)

[6] Janesick AS, Blumberg B. (2011). "Obesogens, stem cells and the maternal programming of obesity." Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease. Available at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-developmental-origins-of-health-and-disease/article/obesogens-stem-cells-and-the-maternal-programming-of-obesity/C97BAE43204C8031ECF94058213D66C1
 (References the work on chemical toxins in maternal programming.)

[7] Legler J, et al. (2015). "Early-life exposures to persistent organic pollutants in relation to overweight and obesity, and associated health problems in humans." Reproductive Toxicology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0890623816303100
 (Cites the hypothesis in relation to persistent pollutants and obesity.)

[8] Darbre PD. (2017). "Endocrine disruptors: history and difficulties in predicting effects." Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Available at: https://www.alliedacademies.org/articles/endocrine-disruptors-history-and-difficulties-in-predicting-effects-8709.html
 (Includes Baillie-Hamilton's paper in historical review of endocrine disruptors.)
These citations demonstrate ongoing scientific interest in Baillie-Hamilton's ideas, substantiating the link between synthetic chemicals and obesity through various mechanisms like hormone disruption and toxin storage.