JulieLeung.com: a life told in tidepools

Those who shaved at least three times a week and applied deodorant at least twice a week were almost 15 years younger when diagnosed than women who did neither (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, vol 12, p 479).

Neither shaving nor deodorant use alone was linked with a younger age of diagnosis. McGrath suspects the aluminium compounds found in many products might be to blame.

But Mirick says McGrath’s study has major limitations. The most serious is the absence of a control group without breast cancer, she says. That means there could be a simple explanation for the findings: younger women use antiperspirant and shave more often than older women.