Do Essential Oils Increase Estrogen in Males?

Research published in 2007 has recently gained attention within the health community.   Three healthy prepubescent boys developed gynecomastia (enlarged male breast tissue) and consulted with doctors to try to determine what the cause could be.  The boys were ages 4, 7, and 10.  This sort of thing can happen during puberty but it is very uncommon for this to occur before then.  After various tests and Q&A, the one common trait among the three was topical use of tea tree oil and/or lavender oil.  Topical of course means it was directly applied to the skin, no word on if an essential oil diffuser would cause the same effect.  Chalk it up to coincidence, but in all three cases the gynecomastia disappeared after they discontinued use.  In vitro experiments also support the notion that these essential oils may have estrogenic properties.

Thoughts:

Look, in the end it’s a three person study on small children, but it’s still something to monitor.  I use tea tree oil in my hair but it’s something I will certainly have to reconsider.  I want every advantage possible for my health, physique, productivity and athletic performance.  If I have to deal with a dry scalp in exchange for that I’ll certainly do so.

As I mentioned, this was topical use.  The essential oil aromatherapy diffusers are becoming increasingly popular but I’m not sure if simply breathing in the oil would lead to the same thing.  At first glance I thought no, but the more I think about it the more I think yes.  It’s still getting into your lungs and blood, so is there really a difference?

We live in a world where we are bombarded with environmental estrogens, phytoestrogens and xenoestrogens like plastic containers, poor quality foods, and even our drinking water.  Do we really need one more?