There may a correlation between tall people and an increased risk of cancer.
A team of researchers studied the records of 5.5 million Swedish people born between 1938 and 1991. They discovered that the risk of developing cancer increased by about 18% for every extra 10cm taller a woman is above a minimum of one meter.
For men, the risk of developing cancer increased by about 11% for every extra 10cm taller.
The increase in risk is different for different types of cancer. Taller women had a 20% greater risk of developing breast cancer, while the risk of developing melanoma increased by approximately 30% per 10cm of height in both men and women.
The full research paper has not yet been published, so it is not possible at the moment to evaluate the methods that were used.
This is not the first study that establishes a correlation between height and cancer. A 2011 study linked increased height in women with a higher risk of 10 different cancers.
No one is sure about why the correlation exists but there are numerous theories. One theory is that the correlation may be linked to human growth.
Another theory is that taller people have more cells. A cancer develops from one single cell, therefore it is possible that the risk getting cancer depends on the number of cells of that particular type that a person has.
Researchers do however assert that tall people have no need to worry; especially as increased height normally decreases the risk to get other conditions such as heart disease.
Being taller suggests that someone had a better experience, a more healthy experience in childhood.
Generally the healthier someone is in childhood, the more likely they are to be healthy later in life. There is a relationship with height which is related to inequality and social class.
