Waistline Worry: Common chemicals might boost obesity

A family of chemicals implicated in testosterone declines may also be contributing to recent spikes in obesity and diabetes, according to a new study.

Phthalates show up in a wide range of manufactured items, from cosmetics to vinyl flooring to medical devices and drug coatings. With people’s extensive exposure to phthalates, the chemicals’ breakdown products, or metabolites, appear in the urine of more than 75 percent of the U.S.