Chemical hair-straightening products may pose risk for uterine cancer: NIH study

An association between chemical hair-straightening treatments and uterine cancer was discovered in a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) study, raising the possibility that frequent users may be more vulnerable. The research, which was released on Monday, followed 33,947 women of various races between the ages of 35 and 74 for an average of almost 11 years. In the study, uterine cancer struck 378 women. According to research author Alexandra White of the United States, the risk of uterine cancer increases to 4.05% for frequent users. "We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to get uterine cancer by the age of 70," White said. According to the National Institute of Environmental Health and Safety (NIEHS), The so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in hair straighteners could be to blame for the connection. It's possible that fragrances, parabens, and phthalates affect the endocrine system's capacity to control hormones. Endocrine disrupters have previously been linked to increased risks of breast and ovarian cancer. After taking into account other individual risk factors, the recently published study concluded that women who used chemical straightening products more than four times in the previous year had 2.5 times the likelihood of having uterine cancer. "However, it is important to put this information into context. Uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer," White added in a statement. Researchers also discovered that less frequent use of hair straighteners in the previous year was linked to a higher risk of uterine cancer. However, the difference was not statistically significant, suggesting that it could have simply been a coincidence. Researchers from the NIEHS came to the conclusion that although there was no difference in uterine cancer risk by race, Black women may be more vulnerable. "These findings may be even more important for them," Che-Jung Chang of NIEHS said. "Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently and tend to start use at younger ages than other races and ethnicities."