12:39 AM
Anonymous
A chemical used in make-up and self tanning lotions has been linked to obesity.
Scientists found that those who were exposed to phthalates, colourless man-made substances included in a variety of common consumer products, were more prone to weight gain.
And subjects with even 'modest' levels of the substance in their bloodstream were twice as likely to develop diabetes.
One billion tons of phthalates are produced worldwide each year and they have been widely used as gelling agents in cosmetics, cleaning products and to make plastic bottles for more than half a century.
But now mounting evidence suggests they could have a negative health impact, prompting the body to store more belly fat and become resistant to insulin as they disrupt the hormone balance.
Lead researcher Monica Lind, associate professor of environmental medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden, said: 'Those pollutants containing phthalates are making people obese and now we find they could get diabetes. These products need to be tested.
'Many are used in body products, like face creams, fake tan, make up and perfumes. Not only does the packaging contain them, but they are absorbed into the body and bloodstream through the skin.
'In perfume, we inhale the phthalates that are used to delay the scent and increase the lifetime of the perfume.'
Data from 1,000 people aged over 70 was looked at during the study and in total 119 had diabetes while 88 of them had a history of the condition.
After taking into account factors that are known to cause type 2 diabetes, including obesity, smoking and high cholesterol, they found people with higher levels of phthalates in their blood were more likely to develop insulin resistance.
It is thought that in men phthalates have an anti-testosterone capacity linked to weigh gain, while in women they disrupt the hormone balance similar to those that might occur during the menopause or at puberty.
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