Fragrance and the Endocrine System
As discussed in my Spring Cleaners blog post, when the word fragrance is listed as an ingredient in a product, it should raise concern. Originally, that was approved so that companies did not have to reveal their formulas for their unique scents. However, that also made it so that companies could hide hundreds of different chemicals under that one umbrella term.
We’ve probably all had the desire to make our home smell warm and inviting for the guests coming over. Or maybe it’s an attempt to cover up the stinky sock smell. Whatever the reason, candles, room sprays, and diffusers may mask foul smells for the time being, but they do not fix the problem. In fact, many of them add to the problem by releasing chemicals including phthalates and other carcinogens into the air you breathe in your own home!
Fragrance compounds have a similar configuration to “carcinogenic environmental hydrocarbons.” This spurs on the “expression of cytochrome group of monooxygenase enzyme aromatase. This enzyme aromatizes androgens to form estrogen, the powerful signaling hormone, which underlies the majority of morbidities.” (Patel)
In simpler terms, chemicals in fragrance can spur on the production of estrogen in our body. Some chemical structures even mimic our natural estrogen and confuse our body when producing and using the hormone. This results in an overproduction, potentially leading to estrogen dominance.
Estrogen dominance is an increasing problem in today’s society. There are synthetic estrogens in medications, birth control, phthalates, and certain foods. Although some of these are termed “natural” because they mimic the structure of our innately produced estrogen, we need to be aware of our exposure to and consumption of these chemicals. This is not only for females. We often think of estrogen as the female hormone. In fact, males also need certain levels of estrogen, and when imbalance occurs, it can also cause health issues. Ray Peat has some very informative research on estrogen and the role it plays in the body. He also discusses the role of synthetic estrogens and the havoc they can cause in different systems of the body. “The phytoestrogens appear to pose a risk to organs besides the breast and uterus, for example the liver, colon, and pancreas, which isn't surprising, since estrogen is known to be carcinogenic for every tissue.” (Peat)
This information is something that men and women alike should be aware of. There are other factors that play a role in estrogen dominance, but avoiding chemicals in fragrance is one step closer to rebalancing our systems. I am not telling you that all candles and room sprays have these chemicals! There are some great non-toxic brands out there that are harmless and they smell great! But it may take a little research to find the truth. Don’t be content with the secrets that they keep from you on ingredients labels. Search out the truth and find pure sources to refresh your home this spring!
Sources
Patel, Seema. “Fragrance Compounds: The Wolves in Sheep's Clothings.” Pubmed.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2017, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28478814/.
Peat, Ray. “Natural Estrogens.” RayPeat, 1997, http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/natural-estrogens.shtml.
