What’s the link between talcum powder and cancer?
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More than 1,300 Victorians have joined a class action against Johnson & Johnson alleging its talcum powder products left them with ovarian cancer, mesothelioma (cancer affecting the lungs) and other cancers affecting the reproductive organs.
This follows lawsuits in the United Kingdom and the United States, including a prominent case in California. In December 2025, Johnson & Johnson was forced to pay two women US$40 million after a jury found its baby powder was dangerous and that it had failed to warn consumers.
Talc is a naturally occurring mineral mined in many parts of the world. People can come into contact with it during mining and processing, industrial applications, and more commonly, through its use in cosmetics and body powders.
People use talc on their genitals to absorb moisture, reduce friction, disguise odours, or to reduce skin rashes and chafing. Talc increases the opaqueness of face powders and cosmetics, leaving skin feeling smooth and soft.
So how is it linked to cancer? And what does the scientific evidence say?
Contamination with asbestos
Since the 1970s, questions have emerged about whether talc could be contaminated with asbestos. Asbestos is a cancer-causing agent that can affect the lungs when inhaled.
Talc and asbestos are minerals often found close to each other in the Earth, so there is potential for talc to be contaminated with asbestos during the mining process.
Since the 1970s, manufacturers have attempted to produce pure talcum powder free from asbestos. However, it’s unclear how routinely samples are tested and the extent of contamination over the past 50 years.
In 2023, Johnson & Johnson stopped selling talc in its products worldwide, including in Australia, switching instead to a cornflour base. Other manufacturers still sell talcum powder and it’s still used in cosmetics, as well as industrially.
What does the science say about the cancer link?
Two cancers have a possible link with talc use:
- lung cancer, due to the potential to inhale talc particles, which can occur with some types of jobs
- ovarian cancer, due to regular use of talcum powder in the genital area.
Some human studies have found products containing talc are linked with higher rates of ovarian cancer. Other studies have found no link.
Studies that examined the use of talc on the genital area found no evidence to suggest a link between talc and uterine or cervical cancer.
But there are several challenges to overcome when studying the link between talcum powder and cancer. It can be difficult to recall details about talc use (brand, amount, and so on) many years later. Some people who developed cancer will have died before being identified and studied, so won’t be included.
However, when researchers investigated how often participants used talc powder and compared those who used it frequently with those who didn’t, they found an increased risk of ovarian cancer among frequent users.
So what does it all mean?
When there are differing results from multiple studies, those results can be summarised together to answer the research question. So what does all the currently available evidence say about the relationship between talc usage and ovarian cancer?
This summary study concludes there appears to be a weak risk of some types of ovarian cancer, meaning it’s linked to a small increase in risk, but the reasons why remain unclear.
The evidence suggests talc does not increase the risk of other gynaecological cancers, such as uterine and cervical.
Talc contaminated with asbestos is clearly linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. However, cosmetic use of talc doesn’t seem to increase the risk of lung cancer because users don’t breathe it in.
In 2024 the World Health Organization (WHO) updated its advice to say that talc is “probably carcinogenic” which means it probably causes cancer in humans. This is the second-highest risk level for cancer, which includes the herbicide glyphosate (Roundup) and red meat.
If you use talcum powder and are concerned about an increased risk of cancer, it’s recommended you stop using it or limit how much you use. As with all decisions in life, consider the balance between potential harms and benefits, especially if you’ve used talc for a long time and want to minimise your risk of getting cancer.
Tam Ha, Associate Professor of Cancer Epidemiology, University of Wollongong
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Cranberries vs Redcurrants – Which is Healthier?
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Our Verdict
When comparing cranberries to redcurrants, we picked the redcurrants.
Why?
It’s that time of year!
First know: here we’re comparing raw cranberries to raw redcurrants, with no additives in either case. If you buy jelly made from either, or if you buy dried fruits but the ingredients list has a lot of added sugar and often some vegetable oil, then that’s going to be very different.
But for now… Let’s look at just the fruits:
In terms of macros, redcurrants are higher in carbs, but also higher in fiber, and have the lower glycemic index as cranberries have nearly 2x the GI. Thus, a first round win for redcurrants.
In the category of vitamins, cranberries have more of vitamins A, B5, and E, while redcurrants have more of vitamins B1, B2, B6, B9, C, and K, In other words, a clear win for redcurrants.
Looking at minerals, cranberries boast a little more manganese; they also have about 2x the sodium. Meanwhile, redcurrants sweep even more convincingly with a lot more calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, and zinc, meaning redcurrants win their third round in a row.
In other considerations, both berries have generous amounts of assorted phytochemicals (especially polyphenols, including flavonoids and others), and/but nothing to set one ahead of the other. So, a tie in this round. Unless…
- if you have a tendency to UTIs, the cranberries win as they are very effective at reducing those
- if you have kidney problems, then redcurrants win as cranberries can increase the risk of kidney stones
…however, since we are adding things up for the readership as a whole, we’ll say those two things cancel each other out, and this declare a fourth-round tie.
Adding up the sections shows a clear overall win for redcurrants, but as for pretty much any berries that aren’t poisonous, both of these are great choices for most people most of the time.
Want to learn more?
You might like to read:
Health Benefits Of Cranberries (But: You’d Better Watch Out)
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What’s the difference between a home birth and a free birth?
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If you’re looking on social media for information and experiences of giving birth at home, you’ll find widely varied content.
On the one hand, you’ll find women who develop a relationship with their midwife over time and eventually have a “home birth” where they feel comfortable and safe.
Others choose to birth outside the medical system in a “free birth”. They might birth at home but feel compelled to forgo specialist skills and equipment.
While free births and home births sound similar, they come with very different potential risks.
Layland Masuda/Getty Images What is a home birth?
Planned home births involve care from registered midwives. They care for women through the pregnancy, support them to give birth at home and continue this care for around six weeks following the birth.
Registered midwives either work privately or are employed by a hospital to provide home births.
Around 20 publicly funded home birth programs operate nationally for low-risk women who don’t live far from the hospital. Most set a maximum distance (time or kilometres) from the hospital so women can get there quickly if they need medical care or in an emergency.
Private midwives work for themselves and charge for care before, during and after a home birth. Women are able to get some money back from Medicare or through some private health funds.
Midwives are highly skilled and carry resuscitation equipment and medications to deal with emergencies, for instance, if the baby isn’t breathing or the mother is bleeding heavily.
What is a free birth?
When a woman chooses to have a free birth they make the decision to have a baby, usually at home, without a registered health professional such as a midwife or doctor in attendance. These are also called unassisted or wild births.
Those who plan a free birth may hire an unregulated birth worker or doula to support them at the birth. But they don’t have the training, regulation or medical equipment and skills needed to manage emergencies.
Women may have limited or no antenatal health care, so risk factors such as twins and breech presentations (the baby coming bottom first) aren’t detected beforehand and given the right kind of specialist care.
Free birth isn’t the same as when a baby comes too fast to make it to hospital. This is called being “born before arrival”.
How common are home births and free births?
In 2023, 97% of women give birth in hospital. Of these, three-quarters birthed in a public hospital; the rest went private.
A small proportion of women gave birth out of hospital, including in birth centres (1.5%), at home (0.7%), or in other settings (such as being before arrival at a hospital) (0.7%).
There was a slight increase in the number of home births in recent years, from 923 (0.3%) in 2019 to 2,081 (0.7%) in 2023.
It’s unclear how common free birth is, as data is not collected. But there is some evidence free births increased during the COVID pandemic and this trend has continued.
Are home births safe?
The research shows that for women with low-risk pregnancies, planned home births attended by competent midwives (with links to hospitals) are safe.
Private midwives are required to book a woman into the nearby hospital and share information with the hospital at the start of a pregnancy in case medical care is needed at any time.
Midwives across Australia follow national referral guidelines and safety and quality guidelines from the Nursing and Midwifery Board about when to consult or refer women for medical care. Around 12-35% of women who plan to give birth at home will be transferred to hospital. Some midwives can continue to care for women who need extra medical support in hospital.
Women with risk factors are recommended to not give birth at home as there is a greater chance of needing extra medical care for her or her baby. Risk factors include being pregnant with twins, having a baby in a breech position, or having high blood pressure.
For low-risk women and their babies, there is no difference in the risk of death between planned home and hospital births.
However, compared with hospital births, women who plan to give birth at home have a lower chance of having an episiotomy (a surgical cut to the perineum), a perineal tear, significant blood loss, or an infection. They are less likely to be induced, have a caesarean section, or have a forceps or vacuum delivery.
Women who have a home birth more often report positive experiences than in hospitals and tend to make the same choice for the next birth. A home birth can also be healing for women who have experienced a traumatic birth.
Why would a woman choose to have a free birth?
The main reason women choose to free birth is a previous traumatic birth or feeling coerced to make certain choices, such as being induced or having an episiotomy or caesarean section.
Sometimes, women can’t access a midwife to attend them at home. For others, the cost is prohibitive.
Others are motivated by a strong belief in their own capacity to give birth without professional support, with social media influencers impacting these decisions.
The risks of free birth are primarily are due to not having a trained midwife in attendance and the lack of skills to detect complications and transfer to a hospital, or to manage complications at home.
If you choose to birth at home, it’s important to have a registered midwife supporting you during labour to make this option as safe as possible.
Hannah Dahlen, Professor of Midwifery, Associate Dean Research and HDR, Midwifery Discipline Leader, Western Sydney University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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The Power of Self-Care – by Dr. Sunil Kumar
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First, what this book is mostly not about: bubble baths and scented candles. We say “mostly”, because stress management is an important aspect given worthy treatment in this book, but there is more emphasis on evidence-based interventions and thus Dr. Kumar is readier to prescribe nature walks and meditation, than product-based pampering sessions.
As is made clear in the subtitle “Transforming Heart Health with Lifestyle Medicine”, the focus is on heart health throughout, but as 10almonds readers know, “what’s good for your heart is good for your brain” is a truism that indeed holds true here too.
Dr. Kumar also gives nutritional tweaks to optimize heart health, and includes a selection of heart-healthy recipes, too. And exercise? Yes, customizable exercise plans, even. And a plan for getting sleep into order if perchance it has got a bit out of hand (most people get less sleep than necessary for maintenance of good health), and he even delves into “social prescribing”, that is to say, making sure that one’s social connectedness does not get neglected—without letting it, conversely, take over too much of one’s life (done badly, social connectedness can be a big source of unmanaged stress).
Perhaps the most value of this book comes from its 10-week self-care plan (again, with a focus on heart health), basically taking the reader by the hand for long enough that, after those 10 weeks, habits should be quite well-ingrained.
A strong idea throughout is that the things we take up should be sustainable, because well, a heart is for life, not just for a weekend retreat.
Bottom line: if you’d like to improve your heart health in a way that feels like self-care rather than an undue amount of work, then this is the book for you.
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Dr. Stacy Sims’ Guide to Fitness and Nutrition after 40
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It’s worth noting that Dr. Sims has directed research programs at Stanford University focusing on female athlete health and performance, and she also has 94 peer-reviewed papers on the topic to her name.
Here’s what she has to say for those of us in the “women over 40” bracket:
What most people miss
Some notes on daily rhythm: Dr. Sims recommends to eat within an hour of waking, because cortisol spikes about 30 minutes afterwards, so, we can counter it with breakfast. She also advises we bookend our workouts with food, especially 30–40g of protein afterwards. Eat regularly through the day, have an adequate dinner, and avoid eating after dinner, to work with normal hormonal fluctuations.
You may be thinking “but I have long since menopaused; I do not have hormonal fluctuations”; in such a case, then do remember that “hormonal” doesn’t just mean sex hormones, it also means cortisol, serotonin, dopamine, leptin, ghrelin, insulin, and many others!
About heavy lifting after 40: declining estrogen changes muscle signalling, so women must rely more on central-nervous-system stimulation. Heavy loads create this stimulus, improving strength, power, lean mass, and nerve firing when hormonal signalling is reduced. So, lift heavy! But, also safely, please.
Some specific notes on high-intensity interval training (HIIT) of various kinds:
- SIT (sprint interval training): very short maximal bursts of 30 seconds or less at perceived exertion 9–10, followed by long recovery. effective for metabolic control and for signalling between skeletal muscle, the liver, and visceral fat. two intervals are usually the maximum for beginners if the effort is truly maximal.
- High-intensity training in general: true high intensity (e.g. 1–4 minute efforts at 80–90% of maximum heartrate with equal recovery) generates hormones that help lower cortisol afterwards. Moderate intensity does not create the same adaptive hormonal response.
On bone density, she recommends:
- Don’t bother with weighted vests for walking: wearing a weighted vest while walking can maintain existing bone but does not stimulate new growth. Basically, it doesn’t improve bone density because it lacks multi-directional stress, which is what’s needed per Wolff’s Law.
- Do use multi-directional jumps: for example, flat-footed pogo stick jumps or jumping rope, for about 10 minutes, three times per week. The “bone jump” app (developed from a 5-year study in 35–45-year-old women with low-normal bone density) provides structured jump progressions.
Two biggest things she wants us all to take into account, if we remember nothing else:
- Address sleep before fine-tuning training. Better sleep improves cravings, gut health, training response, and stress regulation.
- Ignore diet fads and instead focus on meal timing, consistent intake, and sufficient protein. Match your nutrition to your stress levels and training.
For more on all of this, enjoy:
Click Here If The Embedded Video Doesn’t Load Automatically!
Want to learn more?
You might also like:
Next Level – by Dr. Stacy Sims ← this is her book specifically about going from strength to strength through menopause and beyond 😎
Take care!
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Muhammara
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This is a Levantine dish, Syrian in origin (although Lebanese cuisine uses it plenty too) and popularly enjoyed all the way up to Turkey, down to Egypt, and across to Armenia. And today, perhaps rather further afield! It’s first and foremost a spicy dip/spread, though it can be lengthened into a sauce, and/or made more substantial by adding an extra protein. We’ll give you the basic recipe though, and let you see where it takes you! Healthwise, it’s very nutritionally dense, mostly thanks to the walnuts and red peppers, though spices and olive oil bring their healthy benefits too.
You will need
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (ideally: toasted)
- 3 red peppers, from a jar (jarred over fresh not only improves the consistency, but also makes it extra gut-healthy due to the fermentation bacteria present; if you must use fresh, roast them first)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (you can omit if you don’t like sweetness, but this is traditional)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tbsp Aleppo pepper flakes (less, if you don’t like heat) (substitute another hot pepper if necessary)
- ½ bulb garlic, crushed
- 2 tsp ground smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp MSG or 1 tsp low-sodium salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Optional: handful of pomegranate seeds
- Optional: herb garnish, e.g. cilantro or parsley
Method
(we suggest you read everything at least once before doing anything)
1) Add everything except the pomegranate seeds and herbs to a blender, and blend to a smooth consistency.
2) Add the pomegranate seeds and herbs, as a garnish.
3) Serve! Can be enjoyed as a dip (perhaps using our Homemade Healthy Flatbreads recipe), or as a spread, or used as a sauce poured over chickpeas or some other bulky protein, to make a more substantial dish.
Enjoy!
Want to learn more?
For those interested in some of the science of what we have going on today:
- Capsaicin For Weight Loss And Against Inflammation
- Red Bell Peppers vs Tomatoes – Which is Healthier?
- Bell Peppers: A Spectrum Of Specialties
- Lycopene’s Benefits For The Gut, Heart, Brain, & More
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Foreign aid cuts could mean 10 million more HIV infections by 2030 – and almost 3 million extra deaths
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In January, the Trump administration ordered a broad pause on all US funding for foreign aid.
Among other issues, this has significant effects on US funding for HIV. The United States has been the world’s biggest donor to international HIV assistance, providing 73% of funding in 2023.
A large part of this is the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which oversees programs in low- and middle-income countries to prevent, diagnose and treat the virus. These programs have been significantly disrupted.
What’s more, recent funding cuts for international HIV assistance go beyond the US. Five countries that provide the largest amount of foreign aid for HIV – the US, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Netherlands – have announced cuts of between 8% and 70% to international aid in 2025 and 2026.
Together, this may mean a 24% reduction in international HIV spending, in addition to the US foreign aid pause.
We wanted to know how these cuts might affect HIV infections and deaths in the years to come. In a new study, we found the worst-case scenario could see more than 10 million extra infections than what we’d otherwise anticipate in the next five years, and almost 3 million additional deaths.
CI Photos/Shutterstock What is HIV?
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks the body’s immune system. HIV can be transmitted at birth, during unprotected sex or thorough blood-to-blood contact such as shared needles.
If left untreated, HIV can progress to AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), a condition in which the immune system is severely damaged, and which can be fatal.
HIV was the world’s deadliest infectious disease in the early 1990s. There’s still no cure for HIV, but modern treatments allow the virus to be suppressed with a daily pill. People with HIV who continue treatment can live without symptoms and don’t risk infecting others.
A sustained global effort towards awareness, prevention, testing and treatment has reduced annual new HIV infections by 39% (from 2.1 million in 2010 to 1.3 million in 2023), and annual deaths by 51% (from 1.3 million to 630,000).
Most of that drop happened in sub-Saharan Africa, where the epidemic was worst. Today, nearly two-thirds of people with HIV live in sub-Saharan Africa, and nearly all live in low- and middle-income countries.
HIV can be diagnosed with a simple blood test. MaryBeth Semosky/Shutterstock Our study
We wanted to estimate the impact of recent funding cuts from the US, UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands on HIV infections and deaths. To do this, we used our mathematical model for 26 low- and middle-income countries. The model includes data on international HIV spending as well as data on HIV cases and deaths.
These 26 countries represent roughly half of all people living with HIV in low- and middle income countries, and half of international HIV spending. We set up each country model in collaboration with national HIV/AIDS teams, so the data sources reflected the best available local knowledge. We then extrapolated our findings from the 26 countries we modelled to all low- and middle-income countries.
For each country, we first projected the number of new HIV infections and deaths that would occur if HIV spending stayed the same.
Second, we modelled scenarios for anticipated cuts based on a 24% reduction in international HIV funding for each country.
Finally, we modelled scenarios for the possible immediate discontinuation of PEPFAR in addition to other anticipated cuts.
With the 24% cuts and PEPFAR discontinued, we estimated there could be 4.43 million to 10.75 million additional HIV infections between 2025 and 2030, and 770,000 to 2.93 million extra HIV-related deaths. Most of these would be because of cuts to treatment. For children, there could be up to an additional 882,400 infections and 119,000 deaths.
In the more optimistic scenario in which PEPFAR continues but 24% is still cut from international HIV funding, we estimated there could be 70,000 to 1.73 million extra new HIV infections and 5,000 to 61,000 additional deaths between 2025 and 2030. This would still be 50% higher than if current spending were to continue.
The wide range in our estimates reflects low- and middle-income countries committing to far more domestic funding for HIV in the best case, or broader health system dysfunction and a sustained gap in funding for HIV treatment in the worst case.
Some funding for HIV treatment may be saved by taking that money from HIV prevention efforts, but this would have other consequences.
The range also reflects limitations in the available data, and uncertainty within our analysis. But most of our assumptions were cautious, so these results likely underestimate the true impacts of funding cuts to HIV programs globally.
Sending progress backwards
If funding cuts continue, the world could face higher rates of annual new HIV infections by 2030 (up to 3.4 million) than at the peak of the global epidemic in 1995 (3.3 million).
Sub-Saharan Africa will experience by far the greatest effects due to the high proportion of HIV treatment that has relied on international funding.
In other regions, we estimate vulnerable groups such as people who inject drugs, sex workers, men who have sex with men, and trans and gender diverse people may experience increases in new HIV infections that are 1.3 to 6 times greater than the general population.
The Asia-Pacific received US$591 million in international funding for HIV in 2023, which is the second highest after sub-Saharan Africa. So this region would likely experience a substantial rise in HIV as a result of anticipated funding cuts.
Notably, more than 10% of new HIV infections among people born in Australia are estimated to have been acquired overseas. More HIV in the region is likely to mean more HIV in Australia.
But concern is greatest for countries that are most acutely affected by HIV and AIDS, many of which will be most affected by international funding cuts.
Rowan Martin-Hughes, Senior Research Fellow, Burnet Institute; Debra ten Brink, Senior Research Officer, Burnet Institute, and Nick Scott, Head of Modelling and Biostatistics, Burnet Institute
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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