This potential correlation was identified in a new study

Jul 13, 2012 08:02 GMT  ·  By

A group of experts in the United States recently conducted an association study on a large population of women, trying to determine the effects of using phthalates on these individuals' diabetes risk. The work discovered that this chemical, found in personal care products, increases the risk of developing this disease.

Experts from Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) say that increased quantities of phthalates in the human body can definitely be associated with a higher risk of diabetes for women. The chemical can be found in moisturizers, nail polishes, soaps, hair sprays and perfumes, among other products.

Details of the research effort are published in the July 13 online issue of the esteemed scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives. The study controlled for other influences on the result, such as socio-demographic, dietary and behavioral factors.

“We know that in addition to being present in personal care products, phthalates also exist in certain types of medical devices and medication that is used to treat diabetes and this could also explain the higher level of phthalates in diabetic women,” the team wrote in its journal entry, EurekAlert reports.