Endocrine disruptors are contaminants that interfere with endocrine or hormone systems and can cause tumors, birth defects and developmental disorders in mammals. Often, these contaminants are used in a variety of consumer products, such as water bottles, dental composites and resins used to line metal food and beverage containers. Now, a University of Missouri study suggests that female mice exposed to these environmental chemicals may cause decreases in their daughter's metabolism and the amount of exercise and voluntary physical activity they engage in later in life. These disruptors when introduced in developmental stages, are essentially creating "couch potatoes" among female mice and could predict future metabolic complications, researchers say.
