Health
American scientists warn that certain chemicals that are part of some makeup products, hair sprays and even food packaging can cause women premature onset of menopause. It is reported that those who are exposed to high doses of these chemicals notice the onset of menopause about two and a half years earlier than according to average indicators. In exceptional cases, this period may be 15 years ahead of schedule!
In particular, the potential health hazard of phthalates — that is, a group of chemical agents that make up plastics, cosmetics, household chemicals and packaging for food products. Recent studies have shown that phthalates (salts or esters of phthalic acid) may increase the risk of cancer, diabetes and obesity. There is even evidence that it affects the brains of boys, who are beginning to identify with the female gender rather than with the male gender.
And now American researchers have added fuel to the fire by saying that relevant chemicals can disrupt the female reproductive system, including ovarian function, which may lead to early menopause. Dr. Natalia Grindler from Washington University in St Louis, Missouri and her colleagues studied phthalate levels in the blood and the urine of five thousand seven hundred women over middle age.
As it turned out, those women with the highest rates went through menopause 2.3 years earlier than other women. In other words, while the normal age for menopause is 51, for women who have been exposed to high doses of phthalates, menopause is 49 years old. However, Grindler noted that some women may well have experienced menopause 15 years ahead of nature's due date, that is, about 35 years.
It is known that early menopause is associated with a high risk of stroke, heart disease, bone health problems and fatal brain hemorrhages. Dr. Grindler said that it is not yet possible to determine who will have menopause a year earlier, who will have menopause by two years, and who will have menopause by 15 years. “Early menopause has a serious impact on health. We are absolutely confident that these chemicals can have a potential destructive effect on ovaries and reproductive function,” said Natalia Grindler.
The doctor noted that scientists still do not know much about this issue, since their study was only preliminary. However, enough data have been obtained to suggest the long-term damaging effects of the relevant chemicals. Dr. Grindler is not yet able to answer the question why large doses of these substances have been found in some women's bodies. However, there is an assumption that such women use more cosmetics, constantly consume water from plastic bottles and consume regularly heated packaged food.
