Photo: antiperspirants containing aluminum (courtesy of Northwest Kidney Centers)
Does regular use of antiperspirants increase your risk of developing breast cancer?
The claim that antiperspirant may cause breast cancer have been in circulation in the Internet and popular press for some time, despite the fact that there are no good clinical trial data to substantiate this claim.
Now to fuel this argument a new study has suggested that, chemicals contained in antiperspirants could break through the skin and mimic estrogen. Since estrogen has a central role in the causation of breast cancer this new finding may suggest a new link between use of antiperspirants and breast cancer. Doctors and researchers are urging to have more research before a definite conclusion is drawn on this issue.
It is worth noting that one of the best studies addressing this issue, which was published in 2002, found no link between antiperspirant or deodorant use and breast cancer risk. In this study researchers compared antiperspirant usage patterns among roughly 800 breast cancer patients and a similar number of women without the disease. These researchers found no link between antiperspirant use and cancer and believe that this matter should be closed.
Not all researchers agree this matter should be closed. Dr Philippa Darbre, from the University of Reading, calls for further study to evaluate whether antiperspirants could increase the risk of breast cancer. She says that antiperspirants are a major source of human exposure to aluminum. These products are often sprayed into the armpits concentrating exposure near to the breast. Dr Darbre said there is evidence that accumulation of aluminum and cadmium may also be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. Now with new finding that antiperspirants may act like estrogen, more research should be performed to exclude the link between antiperspirants and breast cancer. |
