Discussions

I have been reading articles about deodorant containing aluminum being a health risk as far as causing breast cancer and Alzheimer's.  
Since my sister just found out she has breast cancer and I am getting a bit forgetful, my Secret deodorant is going in the garbage and I will look for something aluminum free

No, the studies that were done have been found to be flawed. There is NO convincing evidence that aluminum-containing deodorants cause either breast cancer or alzheimer's.  
 
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/antiperspirant-facts-safety  
 

If that is true then where are all the sick and deceased ? Junk science/ junk journalism strikes again !

am getting pretty much fed up with 'research says'. Never hear who they are, where they are from on this planet, how long the research was done and if proceeded properly.  
IF you read everything and be concern then you will be eating nothing not even water and all is chemical and cancer.  
Just concentrate to bring your stress down and you may be the winner.

To hear about your sister. That is indeed a tough thing to hear. You and your family have my sympathy, and my hope is that your courage will help her through this difficult and challenging time.  
As for the test results on this product, there are indeed questionable results. As with anything that is tied in to cancer, there are a multitude of things to consider that may be falsely linked to causes. Genetic history, eating habits, hormonal balance, environmental factors can all be attributed to cancer causes, and must be factored in to tests on products, but often aren't done by the investigation agency. Could aluminum be a risk factor? Potentially. Can we be 100% certain it is? No. As with anything, we need to be cautious, but also need to do due diligence with our research when we make our opinions, because again,there are many factors to consider. I applaud your decision to look at health alternatives for yourself. If you wish, a lot of good info on healthy lifestyle choices can be read by going to the Canadian Cancer Society site at  
www.cancer.ca

The FDA seems to have an open-case stance on it-  
"Despite many investigators looking at this issue, the agency does not find data from topical and inhalation chronic exposure animal and human studies submitted to date sufficient to change the monograph status of aluminum containing antiperspirants", therefore allowing their use and vowing to keep monitoring the scientific literature.  
 
A search through scholarly articles reveals the studies and literature either way is lacking, though for completeness I will mention there does seem to be at least some circumstancial evidence correlating deodorant and breast cancer.  
 
"Aluminium is known to have a genotoxic profile, capable of causing both DNA alterations and epigenetic effects, and this would be consistent with a potential role in breast cancer"-  
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16045991  
 
 
"An earlier age of breast cancer diagnosis related to more frequent use of antiperspirants/deodorants and underarm shaving" -  
http://mobile.journals.lww.com/eurjcancerprev/_layouts/15/oaks.journals.mobile/articleviewer.aspx?year=2003&issue=12000&article=00006#ath  
 
So, although to date there is no conclusive evidence that connects deodorant and breast cancer, there is also no conclusive indisputable evidence de-associating it, so it wouldn't hurt to switch to an aluminum free deodorant, to be on the safe side.  
 
Edited by Enfyre, 2016-04-22 12:42:29

The links are both to articles from 2003!  
Here's the link to the abstract of an article published 5 years later in 2008 which looked at previous articles and stidues, and which concludes "The expert group's conclusion coincides with those of the French, European and American health authorities. After analysis of the available literature on the subject, no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis was identified and no validated hypothesis appears likely to open the way to interesting avenues of research."  
(source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18829420 )  
 
There are ways of decreasing risks of breast cancer that HAVE been proven, and it is much more effective to follow those.  
 
Edited by curlysister, 2016-04-22 12:56:14

60 ml coconut oil  
30 ml baking soda  
30 ml arrowroot or cornstarch  
 
If you use cornstarch, it is supposed to give it a somewhat antiperspirant effect. A little goes a long way. It is effective on even the worst of armpits. It is less expensive than the bought deodorants too.  
 
I prefer using the arrowroot powder. It has a light delicate scent, not so much that a guy can't use it. You can get arrowroot powder at Two Farm Kids.  
 
Edited by Flutterby, 2016-04-22 13:27:22

curlysister said "The links are both to articles from 2003!   Here's the link to the abstract of an article published 5 years later in 2008 which looked at previous articles and stidues, and which concludes "The expert group's conclusion coincides with those of the French, European and American health authorities. After analysis of the available literature on the subject, no scientific evidence to support the hypothesis was identified and no validated hypothesis appears likely to open the way to interesting avenues of research."   (source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18829420 )     There are ways of decreasing risks of breast cancer that HAVE been proven, and it is much more effective to follow those.     Edited by curlysister, 2016-04-22 12:56:14"

Not surprised that upon analysis of the minimal existing literature which lacks much epidemiological or experimental data, that no conclusive support of the hypothesis was identified.

curlysister said "No, the studies that were done have been found to be flawed. There is NO convincing evidence that aluminum-containing deodorants cause either breast cancer or alzheimer's.     http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/antiperspirant-facts-safety     "

There's no link between the two.  
 
Until it hits the tipping point. Or doesn't.  
 
What can it hurt to use the precautionary principle?  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Old news. I wouldn't be to worried about it. Be more worried about your cellphone.

What it can hurt is that people may lose sight of real risks, and not take steps that will actually decrease their risk of serious illness. It can also hurt to pass along false information to others. And not being knowledgeable about what are reputable websites and information can lead to false information about other illnesses/ risks/ risk reduction as well.

I think it can't hurt to be too careful, I would expect most people would include avoiding a circumstatial risk simply as a supplemental addition to a multi-faceted approach to protecting themselves, also utilizing actual proven risk reductions as their core measures, such as avoiding unnecessary use of birth control. If they dont, well that's their own fault, their health is their own responsibility.  
 
 
Not much seems to be proven about what is causing the increase in breast cancer, and the increase in younger women, only about 5-10% are from inherited mutations, the rest are from acquired mutations, which is thought to be from environmental exposures.  
 
It also seems to take a lot for a regulatory agency such as the FDA to actually come out and confirm a link to cancer, there was overwhelming evidence for decades that processed meats caused cancer, finally, only now did they confirm it.  
 
Another suspected factor in the increasing rates of breast cancer is exposure to parabens. While not technically proven, they are strongly associated with it, with much scholarly literature to back it up, which a quick Google search will reveal.  
 
Parabens mimic estrogen and are found in many personal care products such as cosmetics, shampoos, lotions, shaving creams, sunscreens, some deodorants, etc.  
 
People plaster their faces and lather their bodies with these chemical based products every day, perhaps not realizing that the skin isn't impermeable, there's something called dermal absorption.  
 
These estrogen mimicking chemicals could also explain the mass feminization of men in recent decades.