Exposure
to parabens may be linked to an increased incidence of breast cancer in Black
women
According
to a new study presented Sunday at ENDO 2022, the Endocrine Society's annual
meeting in Atlanta, Ga., parabens, which are commonly found in hair and
personal care products, produce negative effects on breast cancer cells in
Black women.
Breast
cancer affects one out of every eight women in the United States at some point
in their lives. Breast cancer is more common among black women under the age of
40 than in any other racial or ethnic group.
Exposure
to hazardous compounds known as endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in hair
and personal care products could be one cause of the increased risk of breast
cancer. The actions of these substances on the body are similar to those of
hormones."
Parabens
are endocrine-disrupting compounds that are often used in hair and other
personal care products as preservatives. Breast cancer cells proliferate,
invade, spread, and express genes linked to cancer and hormone function when
exposed to parabens. Importantly, a survey of products that are free of
parabens and other hazardous chemicals found that there are less paraben-free
options available for Black women.
"We
don't have a lot of research about how parabens may enhance breast cancer risk
in Black women," Trevio said. "Black women are more likely to buy and
use hair products with these types of chemicals." "This is because
most research studies looking at this link have not included Black women, and
studies to test this link have solely employed breast cancer cell lines from
white women."
The
effects of parabens on breast cancer cells in Black women were investigated in
a new study. Parabens accelerated the growth of a Black breast cancer cell
line, according to the researchers. At the levels examined, this impact was not
observed in the white breast cancer cell line. In both Black and white women's
breast cancer cell lines, parabens boosted the expression of genes linked to
hormone activity. Parabens also aided the spread of breast cancer cells, with
the Black breast cancer cell line showing a stronger effect.
"These
findings add to the growing body of evidence that parabens kill breast cancer
cells from Black women," Trevino added.
The
research is part of the Bench to Community Initiative (BCI), a community-led
project that brings together scientists and community participants (including
breast cancer survivors) to find strategies to eliminate dangerous chemicals in
hair and personal care products in Black women with breast cancer.
"While
the focus of this investigation is on Black women, the knowledge we gather
about the link between exposure to dangerous chemicals in personal care items
and breast cancer risk may be applied to all women at high risk of breast
cancer," Trevino said.