The endocrine disruptors present in conventional pastes may interfere with your hormones, claims study

Early life exposure to triclosan and other endocrine disrupting chemicals commonly found in pastes may lead to early puberty in girls.

Well-formulated, commercial pastes may be highly beneficial in supporting your dental integrity and maintaining dental hygiene. But there’s a good reason to avoid using such dentifrices. The risks associated with long-term, daily use of commercial pastes may outweigh their benefits. The problem is that these products contain endocrine disruptors and they are absorbed through skin, largely affecting your reproductive and hormonal systems. Studies have shown that exposure to high doses of triclosan and other endocrine disruptors interfere with your hormones.

The strong evidence that chemicals present in routine dental hygiene products could be doing more harm than good keeps growing and growing. The latest nail in the coffin for dental hygiene products comes from the journal of Human Reproduction, one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals, which has recently published a study (2018) saying that prenatal exposure to harmful chemicals commonly found in paste, makeup, soap and other personal care products may speed puberty in girls. ¹

Researchers in the School of Public Health found that daughters of mothers with higher levels of triclosan and diethyl phthalate in their bodies during pregnancy hit puberty at younger ages. They found that certain chemicals found in personal care and consumer products, including phthalates, parabens, and phenols, which include triclosan, especially used in conventional pastes, increase the durability of the products but are associated with altered pubertal timing. ¹ As a result of the analysis, Dr. Kim Harley, an associate adjunct professor in the School of Public Health suggests, “People should be aware that such chemicals in personal care products as these may be disrupting the hormones in our bodies.” ²

 Findings from this long-running study of mothers and children also suggest that exposure to triclosan and other endocrine disrupters may lead to other health

problems in such subjects. This is because earlier age puberty is associated with increased risk of mental health problems and risk-taking behaviour as teenagers. Not only this, it also increases their risk of breast and ovarian cancer over the long-term. Triclosan and other endocrine disrupting substances found in personal care products mimic, block, or otherwise interfere with natural hormones in human bodies, such as estrogen and alter reproductive development. ³ Triclosan has estrogenic potency which is known to disrupt follicle stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone and even testosterone secretion. Even in the past, several other studies observed an association between increased triclosan exposure and reproductive and developmental defects in infants. ⁴

Triclosan and other toxicant found in such products do not present a direct threat to human health but their absorption potential into human body is alarming. For example, pastes containing triclosan provide an effective level on plaque control, but they can also be harmful if ingested even in moderate quantities. ^{5, 6}

“Triclosan and other toxic substances are largely utilized in conventional pastes and other personal and household products these days. Given the ubiquity of such products, we are continually exposed to such toxicants through both skin and oral absorption pathways” says, Dr.Geeta Dharmatti Msc, Phd, RD

Consultant Nutritionist and Registered Dietician, Geeta Nutri Heal Consultancy,  Pune.

As a consumer, it’s extremely important for you to reduce your risk to chemicals of concern, particularly triclosan. While there is very little one can do to decrease triclosan’s hazards, the health risks associated with it can be significantly reduced by avoiding products that contain this chemical. One should also look for the all ingredients used in paste.

Even after generations of use, commercial pastes still contain questionable ingredients. Thankfully there are some well-formulated, non-toxic dental care products available in the market today that contain only natural ingredients and not something cooked up in the lab. ”People would be surprised by the amount of harmful chemicals like triclosan and fluoride used in some commercial pastes. In fact, many contemporary herbal brands are queuing up these

Published In:

• Nagpur Post Edition Nagpur (Date 8th March’2019)
• Kesari Edition Pune ( Date 18th Feb )
• Sanjhsakti Edition Pune (Date 14th Feb)
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