A new study by the National Institutes of Health found that hair-straightening chemicals increase the risk of uterine cancer. Women who use these harmful chemicals are at higher risk of getting uterine cancer than those who don’t.
In the newly published research, a total of 33,497 participants use chemical products for hair straightening more than four times a year. They develop uterine cancer twice as much as those who don’t.
The researchers conducted a study by collecting a large group of women aged 35 to 74. Throughout the discourse of 11 years, 378 cases of uterine cancer were recorded.
1.6 percent of women who did not use hair-straightening chemical products in the past 12 months were diagnosed with cancer by age 70. But, approximately 4 percent of women with frequent use of these products developed uterine cancer by age 70.
Chandra Jackson, the author of the study and researcher at the Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), was aware of uterine cancer’s rareness. However, she is more worried about the “doubling of risk [that led] to some concern.”
She said to CNN, “In this study, women with frequent use in the past year had an over two-fold higher risk of uterine cancer.”
Previous and ongoing research on this issue
There are many studies made on this topic. Some suggest that hair products like hair-straightening chemicals connect to hormone-driven cancers. Also, some of the cancers stated are breast and ovarian cancer.
Interestingly, this is the first time a study found the product is linked to uterine cancer.
What is in these hair-straightening products?
Additionally, endocrine-disrupting chemicals are in many hair-straightening products. These chemicals are linked to cancer.
Alexandra White, the head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group and lead author of the study, said, “These products can contain a lot of different chemicals of concern.”
But, researchers did not see the same concern with other hair treatments, such as dyes and perms. These products do not increase the risk of uterine cancer.
Who is more affected by this cancer?
Surprisingly, 60% of the participants identified themselves as Black women, according to the study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Che-Jung Chang, Ph.D., an author of the new study and a fellow researcher in the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch explained, “Because Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently, and tend to initiate use at earlier ages than other races and ethnicities— these findings may be even more relevant for them.”
Moreover, uterine cancer is the most common cancer of the female reproductive system. Canadian Cancer Society states that the rate of uterine cancer has increased steadily in Canada for the past 30 years.
Also, women over the age of 50 are more prone to developing uterine cancer. Surprisingly, white women are at greater risk of developing this cancer.
Yet, everyone with a uterus faces the risk of getting uterine cancer.
Sources: Global News, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), Twitter NIEHS, Canadian Cancer Society