Household Dust Could Be Why You Have A Hard Time Losing Weight

A study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology has found that certain types of household pollution may be related to obesity. While it’s too early to have us jumping to the conclusion that dust makes us fat, it is an important discovery that can help us improve the way we live.

Scientists from the American Chemical Society found regular house dust contains pollutants that can contribute to weight and fat gain. Researchers compared dust samples collected from 11 homes and made extracts out of these. These were then applied to fat cells in lab mice in a controlled environment.

Of the 11 samples, nine of them resulted in the fat cells multiplying to create more of themselves. What’s particularly notable is that the mouse cells were exposed to just around 3 micrograms of dust, which is a lot lower than the typical amount of dust us humans ingest daily (around 50mg). The rebirthing of fat cells in affected mice was attributed to specific compounds found in general household dust: a plasticizer called DBP, a pesticide called pyraclostrobin, and TBPDP.

The researchers admitted that more studies have to be conducted in order for these results to be conclusive, though it is obvious that the discovery should be something we need to take note of when we consider how (and how often) we clean our homes.

This is not the only research that links house dust with weight gain and obesity. Another study from Duke University also found that the triclosan typically found in common cleaning products can affect fat creating hormones.

For now, inhaling dust per se probably won’t make us fat (as obesity is mainly caused by diet and lifestyle factors), but it presents a strong argument on improving our way of life. Household cleaning experts recommend vacuuming twice a week, at least, and more in high-traffic locations. If you have pets, vacuuming daily is needed.