Your question: “Do toxins cause cellulite? I have been told that toxins have nothing to do with cellulite and that all the fuss about toxins and cellulite is not based on facts. What is the truth?“

Our answer

The truth is that fat accumulation is the most important aspect of cellulite, but toxin and waste product accumulation is also important, being one of the six aspects of cellulite. Toxins do contribute to cellulite creation and perpetuate it’s existence. A quick explanation of how toxins and waste products contribute to cellulite formation follows:

Toxins and waste products may:

• Act as free radicals, also known as reactive oxygen species, or ROS (e.g. malondialdehyde etc.). These cause free radical damage on the cell and it’s DNA as well as glycation on the tissues. Free radical damage leads to inflammation and fluid retention, two other aspects of cellulite that we find in most women suffering from this esthetic condition. Glycation has the effect of degrading and hardening collagen and elastin (leading to the creation of AGE compounds, or Advanced Glycation End products), thereby severely contributing to the scar tissue formation and collagen degradation we see in cellulite.
• Act as estrogen receptor agonists (e.g. Bisphenol A, Parabens, PCBs, contraceptives, poorly detoxified natural estrogen compounds due to poor gut and liver detoxification etc.). These stimulate the creation of new fat cells. The main reason that women do develop cellulite whilst men are not affected by this aesthetic condition is estrogen. In fact some men with high estrogen levels, such as older men, the overweight/obese or those who undergo gender change, do develop cellulite.
• Disrupt the metabolic processes of the cells, causing early cell death (apoptosis) or the opposite, uncontrolled growth. Apoptosis of skin fibroblasts (collagen and elastin-producing cells) will lead to poor skin tone, which is part of he cellulite problem. Apoptosis of blood vessel fibroblasts will lead to poor circulation and water retention, which is another important part of cellulite. Uncontrolled growth of fat cells, on the other hand, is the most important characteristic of cellulite.
• Cause fatigue and/or neurological symptoms (e.g. feeling “low” or anxious) which invariably lead to increased comfort food intake (to feel better) and exercise avoidance (due to low energy levels). The combination of poor diet and physical activity can easily lead to fat gain, and in many cases cellulite.

This analysis of how toxins and waste products can cause or increase cellulite can fill several pages, but the simple fact is that toxins are part of the cellulite problem, although they are not the number one factor (fat accumulation is).

However, if the definition of toxin includes artificial estrogens (HRT, contraceptives), then we can safely say that toxins are a leading cause of cellulite. Many experts believe that several artificial hormones do behave as toxins, as they are not in a natural form that the body recognizes, which in turn fails to detoxify them properly, leading to cell function disruption. In many cases those substances are much more powerful than the natural female hormones, leading to the creation of cellulite - among other health problems.

[Please note that the information contained in this page is not to be taken as medical advice, and is not intended as an incitement to stop you from taking any medication prescribed by your doctor.]