Looking at the link: Antiperspirants and deodorants are common over-the-counter cosmetics that are used to significantly reduce underarm perspiration and control body odor. Most commercially available antiperspirants contain aluminum or aluminum-zirconium salts or complexes. These aluminum complexes react with salts in the perspiration and form a plug that blocks the sweat duct. As a result, the duct cannot release liquid sweat. Blockage of a number of sweat ducts minimizes the sweat produced by underarms. The plugs are removed over time when the skin sloughs them off naturally.
During the past decade, there have been numerous reports on the Internet and in the news claiming that underarm deodorant or antiperspirant use increases the risk of breast cancer, especially in women. However, in 2013, both the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute stated that there is no conclusive scientific evidence linking underarm antiperspirant or deodorant use and subsequent development of breast cancer. Although there are no published scientific reports delineating a possible mechanism by which the use of underarm antiperspirants could cause breast cancer, public concern regarding this issue persists.
Studies that looked at the correlation between antiperspirant use and the development of breast cancer have not been conclusive and have been criticized as not relevant. The results of a 2002 study investigating the relationship between underarm antiperspirant use and breast cancer did not show an increased risk for women who reported regularly using underarm antiperspirants or deodorant. However, a study published in December 2003 by the European Journal of Cancer Prevention examined the frequency of underarm shaving and antiperspirant or deodorant use among 437 breast cancer survivors found that those who shaved frequently and used these products were diagnosed with breast cancer at an earlier age. In addition, the study found that those who started the shaving and antiperspirant or deodorant use earlier than sixteen years of age were diagnosed at an earlier age with breast cancer than those who started these habits later in life. The study did not, however, include a control group of women without breast cancer. The study, though suggestive of a link between underarm hygiene habits and breast cancer, has been criticized and deemed irrelevant.
Aluminum: Aluminum salts or complexes are one of the major constituents of many commercial antiperspirants and deodorants. Estrogen is a naturally occurring female hormone that is known to promote the growth and division of breast cells. Aluminum salts are classified as metalloestrogens (metals with estrogen hormone-like properties). Research studies have shown that aluminum salts cause an increase in estrogen-related gene expression in human breast cancer cells grown in the laboratory. However, this result has not yet been translated into human breast cancer cells in the body. Aluminum was detected at varying concentrations in human breast cancer tissue from one study of women with breast cancer. The source of the aluminum was not conclusively established, and hence a definite correlation between aluminum from antiperspirants and breast cancer cannot be made from this study. More research is needed in this area to enable women to make informed choices.
Parabens: Esters of the chemical p-hydroxybenzoic acid are commonly called parabens and are used as preservatives in antiperspirants and many other skin-care cosmetics. Research has demonstrated that parabens possess estrogenic properties both in laboratory-grown cells and in cells within the body (in vitro and in vivo). Scientists have put forth the hypothesis that parabens can be absorbed by breast tissue from topical application of cosmetics such as antiperspirants and could accumulate there, causing the development and spread of breast cancer. A 2004 study that detected parabens in breast tumor tissue partially proved the hypothesis that parabens can accumulate in breast tissue. However, the study did not prove that the accumulated parabens caused breast cancer. Moreover, the study did not prove that the parabens originated from the antiperspirants. It also did not involve an analysis of healthy breast tissue for parabens and hence did not prove that parabens were found only in cancerous tissue and not in healthy tissue. More specific well-designed research is needed to address the absorption of parabens by the skin and objectively evaluate whether they increase the risk of breast cancer.
The rising incidence of breast cancer in younger women combined with the fact that it is a major killer of women in the United States makes it a major public health issue. Considering the fact that a majority of young women use antiperspirants and deodorants, the importance of well-funded, case-controlled research investigations to conclusively establish the proposed link between their use and breast cancer development cannot be overemphasized.
Bibliography
"Antiperspirants and Breast Cancer Risk." American Cancer Society. Amer. Cancer Soc., 20 Sep. 2013. Web. 17 Aug. 2014.
“Antiperspirants Don’t Cause Breast Cancer.” Harvard Women’s Health Watch 10, no. 5 (2003): 7.
Hardefeldt P. J., S. Edirimanne, and G. D. Eslick. "Deodorant Use and Breast Cancer Risk." Epidemiology 24.1 (2013): 172. Print.
Harvey, P. W., and D. J. Everett. “Significance of the Detection of Esters of P-hydroxybenzoic Acid (Parabens) in Human Breast Tumours.” Journal of Applied Toxicology 24 (2004): 1–4.
Kirchhof Mark G., and Gillian C. de Gannes. "The Health Controversies of Parabens." Skin Therapy Letter 18.2 (2013): 5–7. Print.
McGrath, K. G. “An Earlier Age of Breast Cancer Diagnosis Related to More Frequent Use of Antiperspirants/Deodorants and Underarm Shaving.” European Journal of Cancer Prevention 12, no. 6 (2003): 479–85.
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Surendran, A. “Studies Linking Breast Cancer to Deodorants Smell Rotten, Experts Say.” Nature Medicine 10, no. 3 (2004): 216.
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