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Abstract
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) include a variety of chemicals with different structures. Disruption of the complicated endocrine system by these chemicals has been suspected to affect the health of wildlife and humans. Exposure to EDCs has been linked to malformations of the genital tract, alterations in reproduction, some cancers in the reproductive organs, and changes in neurodevelopment and behavior for several decades even though the evidence from experimental or human studies is not completely consistent. On the other hand, the growing body of recent evidence has strongly suggested that EDCs may contribute to the development of obesity and obesity-related metabolic dysfunctions like type 2 diabetes. EDCs may be involved in the pathogenesis of various chronic diseases, particularly obesity-related diseases, which have increased with industrialization. However, the complicated characteristics of EDCs like non-linear dose-response relationships and mixture effects hamper researchers from obtaining consistent results from experimental or human studies. More basic and clinical studies should be performed in order to understand the health effects of EDCs, including the effects on the epigenome, developmental programming, transgenerational effects, and crosstalk among endocrine systems and metabolic and immune systems. Also, researchers need to keep in mind that traditional approaches may not be satisfactory in studying the health effects of EDCs. Considering the complexity of EDCs, a precautionary approach should be applied to the field of EDCs. Any effort to decrease exposure to EDCs would be beneficial in the prevention and control of various diseases.
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