Diabetes, one of the major killer diseases, is estimated to affect about 25.8 million Americans or 8.3% of the U.S. population. Hereditary, age, diet, obesity, sedentary lifestyle, stress, certain drugs and hypertension have been identified as risk factors for diabetes.
Now, a new study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital adds one more potential risk to the list. Can you guess what it is? Well, it is a chemical commonly found in personal care products such as moisturizers, nail polishes, soaps, hair sprays and perfumes known as Phthalates.
After studying data from CDC-analyzed urinary concentrations of Phthalates in 2,350 women who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the researchers have found that women with higher levels of Phthalates in their urine were more likely to have diabetes.
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 2001 and 2008.
The study results published July 13 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives indicate that, "women with higher urine levels of MnBP, MiBP, MBzP, MCPP, and SDEHP [phthalates] were more likely to have reported diabetes than women with the lowest levels, even after accounting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and dietary factors.
Even though, previous studies have shown that women have higher urinary concentrations of several Phthalate metabolites compared to men, possibly due to higher use of personal care products, the study lead by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital is the first of its kind to make a correlation between the level of the chemical used in cosmetics and percentage risk of diabetes in women.
However, given the fact that Phthalates also exist in certain types of medical devices and medication that is used to treat diabetes, which could also explain the higher level of Phthalates in diabetic women, researchers caution against reading too much into the study. Therefore, more research is needed.
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June 05, 2026 16:18 ET A busy week for economic news flow saw a slew of reports being released that reflected the trends in the U.S. labor market. In Europe, economic growth and inflation data gained attention as the European Central Bank and Bank of England head for policy session later in the month. In Asia, the monetary policy session of the Indian central bank was in focus as the country, a major oil importer, reels under the pressures of a weaker rupee and rising inflation.