Antibacterial soaps...bad for you?

[Arad-3]

I was just reading an article on health and I ran across this. Scarey. I use those antibacterial wipes, and soaps at home and at work all the time.


If you are still using antibacterial soap that contains a compound called triclosan, I hope that a brilliant study published in the journal, Aquatic Toxicology will persuade you to consider switching to the plainest bar of soap that you can find.

Researchers have discovered that exposure to triclosan can cause significant disruption to the endocrine system, a finding that has countless and serious health implications.

The study found that triclosan - at concentrations found in North American streams - can disrupt thyroid hormone function in bullfrogs, which can lead to:

Elevated activity in the brain of genes linked with uncontrolled cell growth

Accelerated hind-limb development

Unhealthy weight loss

What's especially disturbing about this discovery is that the hormone signaling mechanisms that triclosan disrupts is virtually identical in frogs and humans.

Could this be another reason why we have an ever increasing number of children who experience puberty far earlier than can be considered healthy?

The bottom line: antimicrobial household products that contain triclosan should be avoided by everyone, but particularly by pregnant women and growing children.

Not only do we need to ensure that these products don't have a place in our homes, we need to be proactive in having them removed from our schools, community centers, and other public facilities.

To view the original abstract of this study, click here:

Triclosan Effects Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene Expression

[delalluvia]

I stopped using anti-bacterial soaps because all it does is kill the unresistant bacteria, then allow bacteria that are resistant to proliferate.

I switched back to Ivory and other such soaps without all the frills.  I like to keep my own personal bacteria guessing as to whether they're going to be wiped out or not.     I hadn't heard about the possible health issues, though.

[Ellemeno]

I have always been paranoid of anti-bacterial soap and wipes, and use it very judiciously, meaning almost never.  I'm sure there are places for its use, but not in the average home, I don't think.

[Front-Ranger]

"Is This the End of Popping Vitamins?" The Wall Street Journal asks in the wake of two studies adding to the growing evidence that taking vitamins and supplements do not make healthy people healthier. On the contrary, long term use of vitamins can add to the risk of early death.

"'We have an enormous body of data telling us that plant-rich diets are very healthy,' says Josephine Briggs, head of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, another NIH center. 'As soon as we take these various antioxidants [and other nutrients] out and put them in a pill, we're not consistently getting a benefit.'"

Oh, and by the way, stay tuned for the news that high cholesterol is beneficial for women, according to a Swedish study of over 2,000 women.