New research has stated that women using chemical hair-straightening products are at a higher risk of uterine cancer than women who reported not using them.
A new study by the National Institutes of Health found that Black women may have a higher risk because they are more likely to use such products more frequently.
Frequent use of chemical hair-straightening products could put women at a higher risk of developing uterine cancer than those who do not use such products, a major study by the National Institutes of Health found.
Although the study did not find that the relationship between straightener and uterine cancer differed by race, it warned that the impacts may be greater for Black women because of a higher prevalence of use.
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The study tracked 33,497 women in the United States between the ages of 35 and 74 as they used hair dyes, straighteners, relaxers or pressing products for, on average, over a decade.
It found that women who reported frequent use of hair-straightening products were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer compared with those who did not use the products.
The study found no associations with uterine cancer for other hair products that the women reported using, such as dyes, bleach, highlights, or perms. The same team found in a 2019 study that permanent hair dye and straighteners may, however, increase breast- and ovarian cancer risk.
Cancer of the uterus is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its symptoms can include vaginal discharge or bleeding that is abnormal to the individual and pain in the pelvis, and it is generally more common in women who have gone through menopause.
