Is my lotion making me fat? The skinny on parabens.
What are parabens?
Parabens are a group of synthetic compounds used widely in cosmetics as preservatives to prevent the growth of certain molds, yeasts and bacteria. They also appear in personal care products that contain a lot of water, like shampoo, conditioners, liquid hand soap, lotions, facial and body cleansers and even deodorants and antiperspirants. Parabens are also found in nail polish, and are what allow nail polish to harden. They are widely used as food preservatives and are even found in pharmaceuticals. Researchers have found that 90{5c2ca12b5699d9d0e4e3897dd0f66c734703ff515dc46cd20c88f169d015fa8c} of typical grocery items contain parabens.
What’s the problem with parabens?
Parabens are estrogenic, meaning they act like the hormone estrogen in your body. (Fellas, if you think this is just for the ladies to worry about, think again.) They are in a class of compounds called endocrine (aka hormone) disruptors. By mimicking estrogen, parabens are able to bond with estrogen receptors in the body, which can cause a surplus of estrogen to be present (estrogen dominance). In addition, while the paraben may look like estrogen and bind to the receptor, as it is not a perfect match, the cell is unable to function properly, and normal, healthy cellular activity can be impaired.
Endocrine Disruption Effects
Endocrine disruptors have been linked to an increased risk of developing female cancers. Research shows they are linked to obesity, insulin resistance and diabetes in men, women and animals, as well as reproductive issues, infertility, and mood disorders. It has been suggested that endocrine disruptors might be causing male infertility, abnormalities in male reproductive organs, declines in numbers of males born, and earlier puberty.
Who is most at risk?
At highest risk of paraben exposure are teenage girls, followed by adult women, since girls and women generally use more body, face, and hair products than men. Research shows that parabens are dangerous at high exposure levels. However, there are no studies to indicate the effects of long-term exposure to so-called “safe” levels of parabens.
Parabens are not the only endocrine disruptors hiding in your personal care products. To find out more, come to one of my free product label reading classes where we’ll talk more about endocrine disruptors and under which names they masquerade. Bring in your most often-used body care product and find out if it’s clean or not.
Enjoy a little light reading on the subject by following the links below:
Studies have found parabens in breast cancer tissue.
Should people be concerned about parabens in beauty products?
Estrogen Dominance Syndrome
Teen girls see big drop in chemical exposure with switch in cosmetics
EDCs and obesity
It’s Time to Learn From Frogs