Disturbing study finds hair products cause cancer

The use of hair straighteners can significantly increase the risk of uterine cancer in women who use them frequently.

This is the conclusion of a major new American scientific study that first established this correlation. In particular, researchers led by Dr. Alexandra White from the US National Institute for Environmental Security and Health (NIEHS), who published the corresponding publication in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, according to Reuters and The New York Times, analyzed data from almost 34,000 women in between the ages of 35 and 74 for approximately 11 years, during which 378 were diagnosed with uterine cancer.

It turned out that women who used hair straighteners more than four times in the previous yearthe likelihood of developing this cancer was about two and a half times higher. Less frequent use of such products was associated with only a slightly increased risk of cancer.

“We calculated that by age 70, 1.64% of women who had never used hair straighteners developed uterine cancer, but that rate increased by 4.05% among those who used them frequently. However, it is important to consider that this type of cancer is relatively rare,” White said.

Previous studies have shown that hair straighteners contain endocrine disrupting chemicals. In the past, such products associated with an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and other hormone-dependent cancers.

“The results of the study provide evidence for a link between the use of hair straightening products and uterine cancer. Further research is needed to determine specific chemicalsresponsible for this relationship,” the researchers said.

Substances such as parabens, bisphenol A, certain metals, and formaldehyde found in hair straighteners may increase the risk of cancer.

However, other hair care products, such as dyes or perms, did not increase the risk of uterine cancer. It is noted that this type of cancer in women generally shows an increasing trend in recent years, especially in its most aggressive form. According to the US National Cancer Institute, about 66,000 new cases of uterine cancer are expected in 2022, which is 3.4% of all new cases of this disease in the country this year.

This type of cancer is also projected to account for about 12,550 deaths, or 2.1% of all cancer deaths in the US in 2022. African-American women are found to be proportionately more likely to use hair straightening products and are therefore at greater risk, according to scientists.

Source link