Chemicals in Beauty Products May Raise Women’s Risk of Diabetes: Study

However, the result does not offer evidence that phthalates contribute to the disease

The findings of a new study suggest that chemicals in beauty and personal care products may increase women’s chances of developing diabetes. But the authors warned that their finding is far from definitive.

The study found a link between high levels of chemicals known as phthalates in women’s bodies and a higher risk of developing diabetes. Phthalates are chemicals that can disrupt hormone levels. They are usually present in personal care products such as soaps, nail polishes, hair sprays, perfumes and moisturizers.

Phthalates are commonly used in several other consumer products as well, such as electronic items, toys and adhesives.

For the study, the researchers looked at levels of phthalates in urine samples of 2,350 women from all over the United States. They found that women who had the highest concentrations of mono-benzyl phthalate and mono-isobutyl phthalate had almost two times the risk of developing diabetes compared to those who had the lowest concentrations of the two phthalates.

In addition, women who had higher-than-average concentrations of mono-(3-carboxypropyl) phthalate had an estimated 60 percent higher risk of developing diabetes, and for those whose levels of mono-n-butyl phthalate and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate were moderately high, the risk of diabetes was about 70 percent higher.

The study was spearheaded by Tamarra James-Todd, a researcher in the division of women’s health at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, in Boston. It appeared online July 13 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

In the news release issued by the hospital, James-Todd said that this is a significant first step in investigating the link between phthalates and diabetes. “We know that in addition to being present in personal care products, phthalates also exist in certain types of medical devices and medication that is used to treat diabetes and this could also explain the higher level of phthalates in diabetic women.” On the whole therefore, further research is called for, she added.

Moreover, the researchers warned that diabetes was reported by the women in the study themselves, which is a less than ideal method of doing research. And although the study uncovered that phthalates are potentially linked to diabetes in women, it did not offer evidence of a cause-and-effect relationship.