According to a new study by the Endocrine Society, black women are at risk of cancer because of chemicals called parabens in their hair and personal care products.
In the United States where the research was carried, cancer is 40% higher among Black women than among non-Hispanic White women.
Their research revealed that “one in eight women in the United States will get breast cancer during their lifetime. Black women are at a higher risk of getting breast cancer under the age of 40.”
Why does this happen?
Parabens are endocrine-disrupting chemicals used as preservatives in hair and beauty products. You are likely to see parabens in relaxers, shampoos, conditioners, soaps and skincare products.
The lead cancer researcher, Lindsey S. Treviño, spoke about the risk of breast cancer in women because of the peculiar nature of their skin and hair which is vastly different from women of other ethnicities. This creates an obvious racial disparity.
What do parabens do?
Parabens cause cells to become cancerous and also make cancer cells grow and spread.
Before now, black women have not participated in this test to effectively test how it increases the risk of breast cancer in women.
This research focused solely on black women and the results were that “parabens increased the growth of a Black breast cancer cell line” and increased the expression of genes linked to hormone action in breast cancer.
