This Chemical In Mom-To-Be's Moisturizers And Everyday Makeup Might Make Babies Heavier

Several personal care products including skin cleansers, deodorants, shaving gels, toothpaste, and makeup contain parabens, which are used a preservative. According to a new study, when expecting mothers use cosmetics containing parabens, it is likely that the children might be overweight.

Children of mothers using paraben-containing cosmetics tended to be heavier at birth and more likely to turn overweight by the time they turn 8. The study pointed out that the chemical ‘butylparaben’ was particularly linked to excess weight only in girl children.

“Our results provide strong evidence that parabens, in particular butylparaben, contribute to an increased risk that children will become overweight,” Reuters quoted the study’s senior author Tobias Polte of Leipzig University Medical Center in Germany. “However, there are many other factors playing an important role in weight gains, such as a (high calorie) diet and lack of exercise,” he added.

Previous studies have reported that the chemical mimics estrogen hormones in the body and might disrupt the normal function of hormones. These chemicals have antimicrobial properties and hence have been used extensively in a wide range of self-care products. But, they can disrupt the endocrine system which regulates several hormones associated with growth, metabolism, and reproduction.

Parabens enter through the skin and seep into the body and get eliminated in the urine. The researchers found detectable amounts of the chemical in pregnant women who used leave-on products, including body lotions, facial moisturizers, and everyday-makeup.

Experts have praised the study’s design to be exceptional and opine that the findings of the study add to the growing body of evidence suggesting that prenatal exposure to chemicals might harm the growth and development of children.

The researchers also looked for more direct evidence by conducting experiments in mice models. By exposing pregnant mice to butylparaben and evaluated their weight gain. They could demonstrate that the paraben caused a weight increase in the animal model.

However, the study lacks evidence to prove whether or how prenatal exposure to parabens might directly impact children’s weight gain. And it remains unclear if the results from mice models are applicable to human beings. But, it makes sense for expecting mothers to check product labels and refrain from using products containing parabens.