A study has shown that chemicals in hair straightening products might be linked to uterine cancer.
According to research conducted by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the scientists collected data from 33,497 women in the US, aged 35-74, who had earlier participated in a sister study, led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of NIH.
The women were followed for almost 11 years and during that time 378 cases of uterine cancer were diagnosed. “We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70; but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%,” said Alexandra White, Ph.D., head of the NIEHS Environment and Cancer Epidemiology group and lead author on the new study.
It was found that women who reported they were using hair straightening products were twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than those who did not use these products. “This doubling rate is concerning. However, it is important to put this information into context – uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer,” said Alexandra White.
Though the researchers did not collect information on the brand or ingredients in the hair products that the women used, the paper noted that several chemicals found in straightening products like parabens, bisphenol A, metals, and formaldehyde could be contributing to the increased risk of uterine cancer.
“More research is needed to confirm these findings in different populations, to determine if hair products contribute to health disparities in uterine cancer, and to identify the specific chemicals that may be increasing the risk of cancers in women,” said Alexandra White.