A Swedish study has found that a chemical commonly used in cosmetics and plastics could increase the likelihood of Type 2 diabetes.

Fox News is reporting that researchers from the University of Uppsala tested more than 1,000 people over the age of 65 for a certain chemical called phthalates which are commonly found in cosmetics such as perfume and fake tanning products.

After factoring for other causes that can lead to diabetes, such as smoking and weight loss, researchers found that people who had higher levels of phthalate chemicals in their bloodstream were more likely to develop diabetes.

“The findings in this cross-sectional study showed that several phthalate metabolites are related to diabetes prevalence,” said the study, which was published in the journal Diabetes Care.

“These findings support the view that these commonly used chemicals might influence major factors that are regulating glucose metabolism in humans at the level of exposure … seen in the general elderly population,” the authors added.

Earlier studies of phthalates have focused on their effect on reproductive health and child development because these chemicals are believed to act as endocrine disrupters, meaning they have an impact on sex hormones.

However, the new study is the first of its kind to look at the health effects in people over the age of 65.

“Further studies are needed that show similar associations,” said researcher P. Monica Lind, Ph.D., associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine at Uppsala University in Sweden, to WebMD. 

The bad news is that it’s almost impossible to avoid exposure to phthalates. They are used as softening agents in everyday plastics as well as carriers of perfumes in cosmetics and many self-care products.

“The implications of our findings must be to cut down on plastics, and choose self-care products without perfumes,” Lind recommended.

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