A new study has shown that taller people are more susceptible to cancer.
July 21, 2011- Being tall may have its advantages, like when walking into a packed boardroom or playing basketball . Recent research says it also may come with some big disadvantages. British researchers have recently concluded that being tall increases your risk of getting cancer.
The study was based mainly on women but says that for each additional four inches of height your chances of developing some form of cancer increases by 16%. The authors say the findings also are true for men. The study was published in the Lancet Oncology and involved 1.3 million women.
The women were divided into six different groups according to height and a pattern was developed for them to see cancer rates. They took into consideration other factors like age, medications taken, socioeconomic status and habits like smoking and drinking and the risk still held true.
One explanation researchers came up with was growth hormone levels may be higher in taller people which may cause some risk of getting cancer. Another theory was that taller people were made up of more cells and therefore have a chance to have more cells become cancerous.
The researchers said that by lowering your risks and eating healthy and not smoking or drinking to excess will help prevent cancer. They added if people maintain their weight and exercise, the difference in height should not be a crucial factor.
