Tall Women More Prone to Cancer?

If you are short, you might envy a tall person but a study published in the Lancet Oncology shows that tall people are more prone to cancers.

Taller women are more likely to develop a range of cancers, including those of the breast, ovary, uterus, bowel, blood and skin. With every 4 inches above 5 feet, women had a 16 percent higher risk of developing cancer.

The study of 1 million women suggested chemicals that control growth can also affect tumors.

Million Women Study, which investigated 1.3 million-aged women in Britain between 1996 and 2001 on the influence of reproductive and lifestyle factors on women's health suggests women at the taller end of the spectrum developed more cancers than those who were shorter.

The reason why tall women are more likely to develop cancer is still unexplained, but scientists presume, “One possibility is that taller people may have higher levels of growth-related hormones, both in childhood and in adulthood, and these growth-related hormones may modestly increase cancer risk,” American Cancer Society strategic director of pharmacoepidemiology Eric Jacobs said in WebMD Health News.