A new large population study was undertaken to clarify the theorized association between hair dye and cancer. The study discovered no connection between hair dye and no increased risk of the majority of cancer types in women. However, it did find a probable association between hair dye and certain types of breast cancer.
Hair Dye and Certain Types of Breast Cancer
The recent study concluded that women who use permanent dye need to be aware that it could increase their risk of some kinds of cancer including breast, ovarian, and skin cancer.
Harvard University Study
The study was conducted by Harvard University and was published in "The Journal of The BMJ."
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer, occupational exposure to hair dye could be classified as a probable carcinogen, reported News Breezer.
The study associated permanent stains with a heightened risk of the development of the aforementioned cancers: basal cell carcinoma.
The links to certain types of cancer "warrant further investigation," reported Knowledia.
Nurses' Health Study
The study published in the BMJ examined data from a research study named the Nurses' Health Study.
The Nurses' Health Study is an ongoing potential cohort examination of over 117,000 women who have been followed for 36 years and who did not have cancer at the service line.
The usage of hair dye is regular among older age groups because they would like to cover up their graying hair color. It was discovered that 50-80 percent of women and 10 percent of men beyond 40 years old use hair dyes in the United States and Europe. These data make them susceptible to certain types of breast cancer.
In the study, the research team from Harvard University assessed data from 117,200 women. At the start of the study, all participants did not have cancer.
In the Nurses' Health Study, interrogations were sent out every two or four years. Over 120,000 women from 30 to 55 years old were initially enrolled.
None of the women have a cancer history. The risk of cancer was higher in women with naturally light hair.
There are no imposed limitations on personal hair dye usage as the earlier evidence is inconclusive.
3 Types of Breast Cancer
The usage of permanent hair dye has also been associated with an increased risk of three types of breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The three types of breast cancer are PR-negative, ER-negative, and hormone receptor-negative breast cancer.
This risk heightens with the accumulative amount of hair dye to which women are exposed to. Merely for women with naturally dark hair, an increased risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma has also been discovered with the use of permanent dyes.
Over the course of 36 years in the aforementioned study, there were over 47,000 self-reported cases of cancer among the women alongside 4,800 fatalities.
The study found no remarkable connection between a greater chance of most cancers and hair dye usage, notwithstanding the duration the women used hair dye.
The findings were published on the internet on the 2nd of September in the "BMJ."
The results "offer some reassurance against concerns that personal use of permanent hair dyes might be associated with increased cancer risk or mortality," according to the examiners, with first author Yin Zhang, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, reported License to Blog.
In conclusion, the usage of hair dye makes users susceptible to certain types of breast cancer.
