Alexandra White of the US National Institute for Environmental Health and Environmental Safety (NIEHS) said 1.64 percent of women who have never used straighteners will develop endometrial cancer by age 70, but for frequent users, that risk rises to 4.05 percent. colleague.
Uterine cancer is the most common type of gynecological cancer in the United States, and rates are rising, especially among black women, according to reports. Watchman. The researchers followed 33,947 women of different races, ages 35 to 74, for 11 years. During this time, 378 women developed uterine cancer.
Contains harmful chemicals
After the researchers took into account the participants’ other risk factors, women who had used hair straighteners more than four times in the previous year were more than two and a half times more likely to develop endometrial cancer. Previous studies have shown that hair straighteners contain so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals. The products have also been previously linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
White and colleagues write in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that these findings provide the first epidemiological evidence of an association between the use of hair straighteners and uterine cancer.
The relationship between straightener use and uterine cancer did not differ by race in the study, but because black women use hair straighteners more often and tend to start using straighteners at a younger age than other races, these findings may be more relevant to them. . Researchers believe.
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