Close X
Thursday, November 14, 2024
ADVT 
Health

Common antibacterial in soap may harm liver

Darpan News Desk IANS, 18 Nov, 2014 11:37 AM
    Long-term exposure to triclosan, found in soaps, shampoos, toothpastes and many other household items, may cause liver fibrosis and cancer, an alarming study suggests.
     
    "Triclosan's increasing detection in environmental samples and its increasingly broad use in consumer products may overcome its moderate benefit and present a very real risk of liver toxicity for people, as it does in mice," said Robert Tukey, professor at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.
     
    The risk is particularly high when triclosan is combined with other compounds with similar action, Tukey noted.
     
    The researchers found that triclosan disrupted liver integrity and compromised liver function in mouse models.
     
    Mice exposed to triclosan for six months (roughly equivalent to 18 human years) were more susceptible to chemical-induced liver tumours. Their tumours were also larger and more frequent than in mice not exposed to triclosan.
     
    The study suggests triclosan may do its damage by interfering with the constitutive androstane receptor, a protein responsible for detoxifying (clearing away) foreign chemicals in the body.
     
    To compensate for this stress, liver cells proliferate and turn fibrotic over time. Repeated triclosan exposure and continued liver fibrosis eventually promote tumour formation.
     
    Triclosan is perhaps the most ubiquitous consumer antibacterial. Studies have found traces in 97 percent of breast milk samples from lactating women and in the urine of nearly 75 percent of people tested.
     
    The study appeared in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

    MORE Health ARTICLES

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study
    In a welcome addition to anti-arthritis treatments, a new product based on medicinal plants and dietary supplements has been developed that relieves....

    Natural supplements could relieve arthritis pain: Study

    Snack Healthy While Travelling

    Snack Healthy While Travelling
    You can be tempted to get your hands on a packet full of wafers or biscuits on a road trip. But try gorging on dry fruits or some packed veggies with a dip for the journey....

    Snack Healthy While Travelling

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer
    A mouthwash made from herbal concoction, prescribed in ayurveda, helps in reducing the intensity of pain in patients undergoing radiation therapy...

    A mouthwash to reduce pain in oral cancer

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination
    Prevention is better than cure. This saying does not seem to hold good for Indians as far as health care is concerned with only around 10 percent of adults...

    Indians yet to catch up with adult vaccination

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility
    Not through a disruption of the production of egg or sperm cells but rather by leading to abnormalities in the morphology of the sexual organs - making...

    Single gene mutation could lead to infertility

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids
    According to a study, mice allergy is a stronger predictor of asthma-related emergency department visits in young children than exposure to cockroaches....

    Mice allergy: a predictor of asthma in kids