The risk of cancer increases… with height. If previous research had already made the link between a large size and a higher risk of developing cancer, a researcher from the University of California at Riverside (United States) confirms this hypothesis, and has even found the reason. According to his investigations, revealed on October 24 and relayed by The Guardianit would simply be due to the fact that tall people have more cells, so they are more likely to mutate and cause disease.
Mutations in cells
Several explanations had previously been considered by scientists to explain this phenomenon. “One of the main hypotheses was that something happening early in life made your cells more susceptible to cancer and, incidentally, made you taller”explain to Guardian Leonard Nunney, author of the study and professor of biology at American University. For his work, published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the Royal Society Bthe researcher actually based himself on the fundamental model of cancer development.
Over their lifetime, individuals accumulate mutations in their cells. If a particular set of mutations occur, then a certain cancer may develop. The team of scientists thus relied on the theory which suggests that having more cells – and therefore more divisions per cell – would increase the risk of cancer.
10 cm more, 10% more risk
The team thus analyzed 23 types of cancer in rodents, and coupled its results with previous existing studies on size. And it turns out that the predictions coincide with the observations, since an increased risk with height was noted for 18 of the 23 cancers. An additional height of 10 cm below the fathom would thus increase the risk by 13% for women and 11% for men. Melanoma or skin cancer have the strongest correspondences with height. On the contrary, the development of cancers of the oesophagus, stomach or cervix would not be linked to it.
But for adults, don’t panic! Georgina Hill of the UK Cancer Center urges people not to worry about their height: “A number of studies over the years have shown that tall people seem to have a slightly higher risk of cancer. But the increased risk is small and there are many things you can do to reduce the risk of developing cancer, such as not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight.”she told the Guardian.
Read also :
- A large waistline increases the risk of aggressive prostate cancer
- Height, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease?
