Exposure to sunscreen harms male fertility, finds study presented at the Endocrine Society congress held in Boston (United States). Indeed, the ultraviolet (UV) filters contained in these creams modify the activity of the spermatozoa.
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) tested the action of 29 of the 31 UV filters on the quality of sperm. In the laboratory, the scientists recreated an environment close to the fallopian tubes and compared healthy spermatozoa to the filters most used in sun protection.
The results of this study showed that these products widely used in the United States and Europe disrupt the endocrine system and fertility male passing into the blood.
Indeed, scientists observed that 13 of the 29 UV filters tested changed the level of calcium (essential for reproduction) in sperm. In addition, 9 of these 13 filters would have mimicked the effect of progesterone (a sex hormone secreted by the corpus luteum of the ovaries and involved in the female menstrual cycle).
“This effect appeared at very low doses, well below the levels of UV filters found in the body of people after application of cream all over the body,” explains Niels Skakkebaek of the University of Copenhagen.
“These results are worrying and could partly explain why unexplained infertility is so prevalent”, concludes the researcher.
Too many cosmetics dangerous to health
In September 2015, the magazine 60 million consumers published a alarming investigation on cosmetic products and the risk of using them. It revealed that more than one in two cosmetic products would be composed of substances potentially harmful to health. Colorants, preservatives (parabens, phenoxyethanol), allergens, endocrine disruptors, all these undesirable substances are present in many cosmetics.
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