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# Could antiperspirants increase breast cancer risk?
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/antiperspirants_increase_breast_cancer_risk_0529160723/
- Published: 2016-05-29T08:17:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-15T14:38:35.000Z
- Description: Writing in Morphologie, P.D. Darbre argues aluminum salts in antiperspirants may be a breast cancer risk factor, noting that tumors and cysts cluster in the upper outer breast nearest the underarm and that aluminum behaves like estrogen in laboratory studies.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Lifestyle, Health News, #vivvo-import

Sunday May 29, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- In an article published in Morphologie, P. D. Darbre at University of Reading suggests that aluminum salts can be a risk factor for breast cancer. Aluminum salts can be found in processed foods, drinking water, antacids, antiperspirants, and vaccine adjuvants.The authors says breast cancer and breast cysts are more likely to develope in the upper outer quadrant of the breast than other parts of the breast. This local area of the breast is often directly exposed to aluminum containing antiperspirants when the hygiene products are applied to the underarm. That explains why [aluminum is often found at higher levels in human breast tissue/fluids than in blood](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23870171?ref=foodconsumer.org). [Sudies ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22246912?ref=foodconsumer.org)found aluminum content in breast cancer is higher than that in normal breast tissues. The link between high levels of aluminum and high incidence of breast cancer in this area of the breast suggests that aluminum may be a caustic risk factor for breast cancer.Laboratory studies have shown that at certain concentrations, aluminum can adversely affect human epithelial cell functions. Aluminum can be a risk factor for the formation of breast cysts or gross cystic breast disease. Women with these benign breast diseases are more likely to develop breast cancer, according to other studies.Aluminum can influence the development of multiple biomarkers of breast cancer, induce genomic instability and abnormal proliferation in breast cells, and promote [migration and invasion of breast cancer cells](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23896199?ref=foodconsumer.org). All these may have something to do with the fact that aluminum is a metalloestrogen, which means that it can act like estrogen. Estrogen is known to promote the development of breast cancer in many cases. Also, according to the report, aluminum salts can alter the microenvironment of the breast in a way that helps the development of breast cancer. (David Liu)*Source: Darbre PD. Aluminium and the human breast. Morphologie. 2016 Jun;100(329)*

**Smilair reports** 

· [Aluminium, antiperspirants and breast cancer.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16045991?ref=foodconsumer.org)

· [Review Aluminium and breast cancer: Sources of exposure, tissue measurements and mechanisms of toxicological actions on breast biology.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23899626?ref=foodconsumer.org)

· [Effects of aluminium chloride and aluminium chlorohydrate on DNA repair in MCF10A immortalised non-transformed human breast epithelial cells.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26319584?ref=foodconsumer.org)

· [Aluminium, carbonyls and cytokines in human nipple aspirate fluids: Possible relationship between inflammation, oxidative stress and breast cancer microenvironment.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23916117?ref=foodconsumer.org)

· [Review Parabens can enable hallmarks and characteristics of cancer in human breast epithelial cells: a review of the literature with reference to new exposure data and regulatory status.](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25047802?ref=foodconsumer.org)