Taller Women May be More Prone to Cancer: Study

The likelihood of developing certain types of cancer rises 16 percent for every 4 inches of height in women, a study has revealed.

Researchers from the University of Oxford have released the findings of a study on one million women that suggests chemicals controlling growth might also have an affect on tumors. Results of the study published in Lancet Oncology linked 10 types of cancer to be more common among taller people.

The ranges of cancers include those of the breast, ovary, uterus, bowel, blood and skin. The increase of risk found among taller women in the study was regardless of birth year, socioeconomic status, alcohol consumption, physical activity and other factors that have been linked to cancer.

The study followed 1.3 million middle-aged women in the United Kingdom between 1996-2001 and found the tallest group above 5 feet 9 inches was 37 percent more likely to develop a tumor.

Cancer research UK has said tall people should not be alarmed by the findings, the BBC reported.

Researcher Jane Green, who led the study at Oxford University, told the BBC that height alone could not affect cancer but it could be a marker for something else.

According to Green, scientists think, but have not yet proved, that growth hormones may be the explanation.