According to a new US study published by the National Institutes of Health, women who use hair-straightening chemicals have twice the risk of uterine cancer than women who do not.
Researchers followed more than 33,000 American women aged 35 to 74, who participated in a study led by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), for 11 years to identify risk factors for breast cancer. and other health issues. During this period, 378 cases of uterine cancer (also called endometrial cancer) were diagnosed. It is, after breast cancer, the 2nd most common gynecological cancer.
A risk linked to the frequency of use
By asking these women about their daily habits, the researchers found that those who reported using hair straightening and straightening products frequently (i.e. at least four times a year), were more than twice as more likely to develop uterine cancer than those who never used these products. “We estimated that 1.64% of women who have never used a smoothing product will develop uterine cancer before the age of 70. But for frequent users, this risk increases to 4.05% “said Professor Alexandra White, lead author of the study.
According to the study published in the JJournal of the National Cancer Institute, about 60% of participants who said they had used hair straighteners in the past year were black women. “Although the study did not find that the relationship between the use of these products and the incidence of uterine cancer was different by race, the adverse health effects may be greater for women. black due to a higher prevalence of use, because due to the nature of the hair, they start using it at an earlier age than other races and ethnicities,” the researchers point out.
Vaimalama Chaves did well to stop permanent smoothing !
Source : Hair straightening chemicals associated with higher uterine cancer riskNational institute of health, October 2022
