Flat hair products may increase the risk of uterine cancer

Researchers at the American Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, NIEHS, followed nearly 34,000 women between the ages of 35 and 74 for about ten years, 378 of whom had the disease.

According to our calculations, 1.64 percent of women who never use products to flatten their hair will develop uterine cancer before their 70th birthday, research leader Alexandra White says in a statement.

– But for those who use the products often, the risk increases to 4.05 percent.

hormonal disrupting substances

It is already noted that similar products are already known to contain chemicals that disrupt the endocrine system WatchmanStudies have linked these substances to breast and ovarian cancer.

In a summary of the new study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the researchers write that the findings provide the first evidence of a link between hair straightener products and uterine cancer:

“More research is warranted to identify the specific chemicals driving this association.”

‘relatively rare’

The research leader emphasized that uterine cancer is relatively rare. But statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that this is the most common form of gynecological cancer – and that the incidence is increasing, especially among black women.

The NIEHS study included women from different backgrounds and did not identify any association between disease and ancestry.

“However, because black women use these hair products more often and tend to start at a younger age than other races, the study findings may be particularly relevant to them,” Chi Gong Chang of the National Institute of Health and Safety said in a statement.