A new study points to the hormonal imbalances that lavender essential oil can cause in little and young girls.
Prevent digestive disorders, cure a migraine, fight against the common cold… To treat our little ailments and ward off winter ailments, many of us turn to essential oils.
Each year, moreover, nearly 13.6 million small aromatherapy bottles are sold in France, or 2,000 per day! A booming sector which should not however make us forget that essential oils, although natural, are not without risk for health and that they require certain precautions.
A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism of the Endocrine Society is there to remind us. According to its authors, lavender essential oil is linked to abnormal breast growth in young girls who are exposed to it.
The presence of endocrine disruptors
By analyzing the components of the essential oil, researchers found that some function as endocrine disruptors, mimicking estrogen and blocking testosterone. It is this hormonal imbalance that causes abnormal breast growth in adolescent and pre-adolescent girls.
“The public should be aware of these findings and consider all of the evidence before deciding to use essential oils,” says J. Tyler Ramsey, lead researcher of the study. “It is also important for physicians to be aware that lavender and tee trea oils contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and should be considered when evaluating premature breast development in young girls and boys. boys, and swelling of breast tissue in adult men.”
A risk of gynecomastia in men
Already last year, the Endocrine Society warned against the use of these essential oils of lavender and tea tree in young boys because of the risk of gynecomastia, that is to say breast growth in men.
Regular use of products made in part of these oils inhibits the action of testosterone, which has an impact on puberty and growth.
Luckily, this breast growth in young girls and boys subsided after discontinuing scented products containing lavender or tea tree.
“It seems that essential oil products have the potential to cause premature breast growth in young girls and boys, so it’s best to stop using them in children,” says Prof. Ramsey .
As a reminder, it is advisable to seek advice from your doctor or pharmacy before using essential oils, especially in young children and pregnant women.
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