Women may be at higher risk of developing diabetes because of phthalates that exist in such personal care products as soaps, hair sprays, moisturizers, nail polish, and even perfume. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital published a report in Environmental Health Perspectives explaining that the higher concentrations of phthalate metabolites in the urine of females compared to males might mean that women have a higher risk of developing diabetes.

Tamara James-Todd, Ph.D. and team explained that although prior studies had detected higher urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites in women, very few had looked into what the link between phthalate metabolites and diabetes and diabetes-related risk factors might be.

Dr. James-Todd and team set out to determine whether there is an association between phthalate metabolite concentrations in urine and diabetes in adult females. They gathered data from the CDC and self reported accounts of diabetes diagnoses in 2,350 women aged between 20 and 80 years.

The researchers found that:

Overall, those with higher urine levels of phthalates had a higher risk of developing diabetes, compared to those with the lowest levels

Those with the highest levels of mono-benzyl phthalate and mono-isobutyl phthalate in their urine were twice as likely to develop diabetes, compared to the women with the lowest levels

Those with moderately high levels of di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate and mono-n-butyl phthalate had a 70% greater risk of developing diabetes, compared to the women with the lowest levels

Women with a higher-than-average level of mono- (3-carboxypropyl) phthalate had a 60% higher risk of developing diabetes compared to those with the lowest levels

The authors say that the women in their study were a “representative sample” of America’s female population. They factored in variables which could distort their findings, such as dietary habits, behavioral traits, and socio-demographic details.

In an Abstract in the same journal, the authors concluded: