Healthy Breasts For Every Woman

Those of you who know me or have attended one of my talks will know that I have been “batting on” for years about the chemicals in our food, our everyday personal care and beauty products, which can act like oestrogen in the body.  They can be called endocrine disruptors, oestrogen mimics or hormone disrupting chemicals.

Well, a study has just come out from Denmark which has studied 1000 girls to look for signs of early breast development and has found that the average age of breast development has fallen by one whole year over the past 15 years when they last conducted a similar study.

I listened to a discussion on Radio Four with Tabitha Randell from Nottingham University Hospital and Professor Richard Sharp an expert on reproductive development from the Medical Research Council.

Some people may think that weight might be an issue and that girls are suffering from “puppy fat” but, in fact, it was shown that Body Mass Index had not had an impact.

So if obesity is not the reason for this early breast development, what is?  Perhaps these girls’ own hormones were starting to work earlier but it was shown that the girls did not have higher levels of oestrodial, the key hormone in puberty.

Professor Sharp then went on to explain that it could be the endocrine disrupting chemicals in our food and cosmetics which are having an oestrogenic effect on our bodies.  Tests on animals have suggested that this is possible.  He also said that traces of HRT and the Pill in our water supplies were hard to detect but could not be dismissed.

Tabitha Randell explained that not all girls who show early breast development go on to start their periods early but some do go on to enter true puberty earlier, below the year of 8, and can then go on to start their periods at age 7 or 8 (menstruation usually starts about 2 years after breast buds start to form) which is a big thing for such a young girl to cope with.  Also girls have their main growth spurt during puberty, which could mean that a girl entering puberty at around 6 or 7 could stop growing at around 9, which would make her a very short adult.

The other thing that wasn’t mentioned is that early puberty is a risk factor for breast cancer.

Currently, if a girl starts to develop breasts below the age of 8, she is given medication to block her hormones.  This is usually given by injection every three months and is continued until she is 9 or 10.

Hopefully, a report like this will encourage mothers to take a safer approach to the food they buy and to avoid having harmful chemicals in their homes.  I always advise mothers myself to buy personal care products and make-up for their daughters themselves so that they can choose brands which are free of these hormone disrupting chemicals.

Nikki Mattei

More and more people are becoming aware of a chemical called Bisphenol A (BPA).  It is used in the production of polycarbonate plastics which are clear and nearly shatter-proof, in particular babies bottles and plastic mineral water bottles.  It is also present in toys, the lining of some food cans and dental sealants.

With bottles, the concern is that BPA can leach into the contents when heated or when the plastic becomes old and gets scratched.  Sheryl Crow is convinced she got breast cancer because she used to drink water from bottles left in her car which had heated up in the sun.

BPA can mimic the effect of the hormone oestrogen in the body.  Animal studies have shown it affects reproductive, neurological and immune systems.  Babies are particularly vulnerable to hormone mimicking effects because they grow rapidly, both in the womb and in their early months and years.

The National Childbirth Trust advises parents to adopt the precautionary principle and avoid bottles containing BPA.  Read their factsheet http://www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/info-centre/information/view-119 to find out how to choose the safest bottle for a baby.  Bottles with BPA have already been banned in Canada and are in the process of being withdrawn in the US.

Breast Cancer UK have launched a campaign, No More BPA, to draw attention to the potential harmful effects of BPA as a hormone mimic to human health.  The charity has put together a detailed report on the effects of Bisphenol A on the hormone system and, in particular, in connection with breast cancer risk.  You can read more about the campaign and download/read the report at the dedicated website http://www.nomorebpa.org.uk.

It is possible to buy bottles without BPA (the Sistema range available from Lakeland for example).  Most bottles have a number in the recycling symbol on the bottom and the numbers which are safer are 1 or PETE/PET, 2 or HDPE, 4 or LDPE and 5 PP.  Avoid 3, 6 and 7.

Nikki Mattei

I have been talking to women for some years now about the dangers of potentially harmful chemicals in our everyday products.  I talk about oestrogen mimickers, hormone disruptors or endocrine disrupting chemicals.  This may sound a bit daunting and scientific.  Well, if you want to know how these chemicals could be affecting our breasts, then Breast Cancer UK have put a simple explanation on YouTube.  I have been a supporter of Breast Cancer UK ever since I discovered them over two years ago and they are the only breast cancer charity who are putting the spotlight on breast cancer primary prevention.  Why are more and more women getting breast cancer every year despite on the millions which have been put into research?  This is why I have launched my own campaign, Healthy Breasts For Every Woman, which you can read about here in my other pages.

Take a look at the BCUK video - it makes a lot of things seem very obvious.

Nikki Mattei