People using hair straightening chemicals - also known as relaxing - could face a higher risk of developing womb cancer, a new study has found.
The process commonly used by black women straightens hair by breaking the protein bonds within it. The risk of uterine cancer for frequent users was 2.5 times higher than for those who never use hair straighteners, according to recent research by the US Government.
It comes after earlier studies showed hair straighteners contained so-called endocrine disrupting chemicals, which have been associated with higher risks of breast and ovarian cancer, the Mirror reports.
Study leader Alexandra White of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS) said in a statement: "We estimated that 1.64 percent 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 percent.
"However, it is important to put this information into context. Uterine cancer is a relatively rare type of cancer."
Womb cancer is the most common gynaecological cancer in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with rates rising, particularly among black women.
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 in their lifetime, 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 percent.
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