Regular use of hair straightening products could 'significantly' increase the risk of developing womb cancer, according to new research. Researchers tracked 33,947 women between the ages of 35 to 74 for an average of nearly 11 years, during which time 378 women developed the illness, reports The Mirror.
The odds of developing uterine cancer were found to be more than two and a half times higher for women who had used straightening products more than four times in the previous year. Further research will be needed to determine what may be behind the increased risk.
Study leader Alexandra White of the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS) said: "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%,"
"However, it is important to put this information into context. Uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer".
Hair straightening products contain chemicals, which have been associated with higher risks of breast and ovarian cancer.
Reflecting on the new findings, a team of scientists wrote in The Journal of the National Cancer Institute: "These findings are the first epidemiologic evidence of association between use of straightening products and uterine cancer"
"More research is warranted to ... identify specific chemicals driving this observed association."
Womb cancer affects one in 36 women in the UK, and recent research in this country has suggested that obesity causes around a third of the cases.
The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, found that for every five extra body mass index (BMI) units, the risk of a woman developing womb cancer is increased by 88%.
