Hair straightening products may increase the risk of developing uterine cancer in those who use them frequently, researchers from the U.S. National Institute say, Reuters reports.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States, and rates are rising, especially among African-American women.Researchers tracked 33,947 women of different races between the ages of 35 and 74 for an average of almost 11 years. During that time, 378 women developed uterine cancer.After the researchers accounted for the participants' other risk factors, the odds of developing uterine cancer were more than two and a half times higher for women who had used straightening products more than four times in the previous year.Earlier studies have shown that hair straightening products contain so-called endocrine-disrupting chemicals. They previously would have been linked to a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
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