http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/01/31/shampoos.breast.growth.ap/index.html BOSTON, Massachusetts (AP) -- Lavender and tea tree oils found in some shampoos, soaps and lotions can temporarily leave boys with enlarged breasts in rare cases, apparently by disrupting their hormonal balance, a preliminary study suggests. 一份初期的研究报告指出，某些洗发精、肥皂跟乳液含有薰衣草跟茶树精油，这些 产品可能会让少数年轻男孩出现暂时性的男性女乳症，原因在於这些产品中的成份打 乱了他们体内的荷尔蒙平衡。 While advising parents to consider the possible risk, several hormone experts emphasized that the problem appears to happen infrequently and clears up when the oils are no longer used. None of those interviewed called for a ban on sales. 几位荷尔蒙研究的专家一方面提醒父母注意这些产品的危险性，一方面指出这个现象并 非常例，只要停止使用这些产品便会恢复。不过，没有任何一位专家呼吁这样的产品必 须要下架。 The study reported on the condition, gynecomastia, in three boys ages 4, 7 and 10. They all went back to normal when they stopped using skin lotions, hair gel, shampoo or soap with the natural oils. 这篇新英格兰医学期刊（注：Feb 1, 2007，page 479-485）的报告指出，三位年纪 分别为4、7、10岁的小男孩均出现男性女乳症（gynecomastia）的现象。但是当他们 停用了他们原本使用的含有天然精油的身体乳液、发胶、洗发精或肥皂，症状便消失 了。 It's unclear how often this problem might crop up in other young children. 目前不清楚这个现象出现在年轻孩童身上的频率为何。 These plant oils, sometimes called "essential oils," are added to many health-care products, usually for their scent. The oils are sometimes found in other household products or sold in purer forms. Tea tree oil is sometimes used in shampoos for head lice. 这些产品中所含的植物油，通常被称作「精油」，精油广泛的被添加在护理产品上， 有时候目的是为了增添它的香气。另外精油也常常被添加在一般家庭产品，或者是以 纯精油的方式出售。而茶树精油也会添加在洗发精里以去除头蝨（惊！） The suspected effect in this study is attributed to a chemical within the oils that the body processes as it does estrogen, the female hormone that promotes breast growth. 这篇期刊的研究推测这些年轻男孩会出现男性女乳症的原因，可能在於这些精油进入 人体後，会转为一种接近人类雌激素的化学物质。而雌性激素就是让乳房发育的女性荷 尔蒙。 The findings were being reported Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The federally funded study came out of the University of Colorado and the environmental health branch of the National Institutes of Health. The findings were first released last year at a science meeting. 这份研究结果出现在今年二月的新英格兰医学期刊，主持这项研究的是科罗拉多大学 （我觉得这边看起来有点乱，总之就是讲人名，晚点看到期刊全文再补完） 这个调查结果的科学研讨会上才第一次出现。 The three boys were brought to their doctors with overdeveloped breasts that looked like those of girls in early puberty. They were sore in one case. For each boy, doctors could tie the problem only to their use over several months of the natural-oil products. 这些前去就医男孩们的胸部外观看起来像是少女青春期前期，也比一般同年龄男孩大 ，其中一个男孩还出现疼痛发炎的现象。医生归结出三位男孩这数个月来的共通点就是 使用含有天然精油的产品。 The researchers suspected that the oils might be upsetting the boys' hormonal balance. So they did a series of laboratory tests to check how these oils work within human cells. The oils appeared to mimic estrogen and block the male hormone androgen. 研究者推测应该是这些精油打乱了男孩们的荷尔蒙平衡，所以他们设计一个实验，看这 些精油对於人类细胞产生什麽样的影响？结果发现，这些精油会伪装成类似女性荷尔蒙 的物质，进而抑制住男性荷尔蒙的分泌。 （注：每个人体内都有男性/女性荷尔蒙，只是女生的女性会多些，男生的男性会多些） On product labels, the oils sometimes are listed by their scientific names: Lavandula angustifolia (lavender oil) and Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil). Such products do not require government approval to be sold unless they make specific health claims. 在市售产品的外标签上我们可以看到这些精油的学名：Lavandula angustifolia （薰衣草精油）以及Melaleuca alternifolia（茶树精油）。不过这些产品并不需 要经由政府机关检验合格，除非这些产品有危害健康的风险。 Marijuana and soy products also have been linked to gynecomastia. 过去研究发现，Marijuana（大麻）和黄豆制品（含大豆异黄酮）也同样跟男性女乳症 有关 Dr. Clifford Bloch, a hormone specialist in Greenwood Village, Colorado, who treated the three boys, recommended that parents "be cautious" with such products, especially for prolonged use. "I would not give these products to my children," he said in an interview. 负责诊治这些男孩们的布洛赫博士，同时也是内分泌的专家，他呼吁父母必须要谨慎的 使用这些含精油的产品，尤其是长时间使用必须更加小心。「我应该不会给我的孩子使 用这些产品」，布洛赫博士说。 Bloch said he also suspects the oil played a role in a handful of young girls he saw for a similar condition, including a 17-month-old whose parents were washing her bottles with a lavender-scented soap. 博士也说，这样现象不光是出现在年轻男孩身上，少数女孩也出现同样的情况，其中一 个案例是一个十七个月大的女婴，他的父母使用含薰衣草精油的肥皂清洗她的奶瓶 Others sounded less worried. "It takes very little estrogen to cause gynecomastia in a young child," said Dr. Richard Auchus, a University of Texas hormone expert who knew of the study findings. "If they're getting it for a brief period of time, that really shouldn't cause long-term problems." 另外一方的意见到没有这麽忧心，「精油中含的微量雌激素会让年轻孩子产生男性女 乳症。」德州大学荷尔蒙专家Dr. Richard Auchus看过这篇研究後说，「如果这个病 徵在短时间就会出现，那麽这就不会造成长期的影响。」 Also, the research did not pinpoint any specific estrogen-like compounds in the oils or look for them in a range of products. Chemist Steven Dentali, at the industry group American Herbal Products Association, said that warning people to avoid such oils "is premature without the additional basic research needed to bolster the case that the issue here is both real and significant." 另外，这份研究报告并没有明确指出精油或是其添加精油的产品中，哪些成份的化学结 构类似雌激素。美国草本学会中的化学家Dentali认为这份报告告诫民众要远离植物精 油，但若没有後续的辅助研究证实这个研究真切而有意义的，那麽便是言之过早。 Gynecomastia is very common in boys during the hormonal changes of puberty. But it also occurs as a rare condition in younger boys, men, and girls before puberty. 男性女乳症（Gynecomastia）在男性青春期荷尔蒙改变的阶段是一个常见的现象，但 是极罕见在成年男性，或是未达青春期的男孩女孩的身上。 Bloch, the study doctor, said it's unknown if such oils could hurt women with estrogen-fed breast tumors. 布洛赫博士也说，目前的研究不清楚这些精油是否会让使用雌性荷尔蒙补充疗法的妇女 产生乳癌。 -- 新英格兰医学期刊那篇全文我目前没拿到，摘要写的太少 晚点拿到全文在看看 ※ 编辑: honu 来自: 59.115.100.169 (02/02 17:11) ※ 编辑: honu 来自: 59.115.100.169 (02/02 17:14) ※ 编辑: honu 来自: 59.115.103.97 (02/03 19:12)