Here’s Why Tall People Are At Greater Risk Of Getting Cancer

People of high stature are more likely to develop cancer, say the results of a study in which more than a million people took part.

Previously, scientists have already made similar assumptions, a new report finally confirms them.

So, do tall people need to be alarmed?

Experts note that although the risks associated with growth have been identified, they are extremely low compared to factors such as, for example, smoking.

In addition, it is not yet completely clear how growth and increased risk of the disease are related. The most popular theory is that in the body of tall people there are more cells, which means that it is more likely that some of them will begin to transform into cancer cells.

"Tall people have a larger body surface, respectively, more melanocytes that can turn into melanomas," says John O'Neill, head of the research team at the Molecular Biology Laboratory.

However, there are many other factors affecting a person’s growth and his predisposition to cancer: the level of hormones in the body, other diseases that have been transmitted, the availability of key nutrients at a young age, and others.

The author of the report, Dr. Leonard Nanni, said that the risks identified by the study are individual and depend on the exact growth of a person.

"If among women of average height, 50 out of 500 people develop cancer on average, then among those who are 178 cm tall, this proportion increases to 60 out of 500. And for women with 188 centimeters, the figure is already 67 out of 500," the scientist says.

At the same time, he adds that smoking puts a person’s life in danger to a much greater extent. According to him, even among the so-called lung smokers (about three cigarettes a day), the risk of lung cancer increases six times. That is, it is no longer 50 out of 500 people, but 300 out of 500.

What conclusion have scientists come to?

Based on the fact that the average height of men is 170 cm and women is 160 cm, scientists have found that every additional 10 centimeters of growth increase the risk of developing oncology by 10%.

The report, published by the Royal Scientific Society, also included the results of previous studies that examined 23 types of cancerous tumors in residents of the UK, USA, South Korea, Austria, Norway and Sweden.

In each selected study, at least 10 thousand cases of cancer among men and women should have been studied.

4 of the 18 types of cancerous tumors in both sexes had no effect on patient growth. These are tumors of the pancreas, esophagus, stomach and oral cavity / pharynx.

Of the tumors in the field of gynecology, only cervical cancer is in no way associated with the growth of a woman.

Is it all that bad?

An interesting fact: US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are 187 cm tall. Growth is only one of the factors determining a person’s predisposition to cancer, and, according to scientists, far from the most important. In addition, a person does not have the power to manage his growth, in contrast to the risks inherent in his lifestyle, for example, being overweight.

The only way to try to protect yourself from cancer is a healthy lifestyle, scientists say.

Professor Tim Cole from University College London believes that tall people should not worry too much about the latest discovery.

“High growth offers many advantages. People who earn a lot of money are usually tall. World leaders are also often tall – a lot is in their favor. Therefore, one negative point is not so scary,” the scientist believes.

What do tall people think about opening?

Stuart Logan, head of Britain’s Tall People’s Club, believes scientists have come up with the wrong parameters.

His club was founded in 1991 and has about 250 members from the UK and Northern Ireland.

"In our opinion, the average height of very many men is 1 meter 90 centimeters, and women - 177-180 cm. It would be more useful if, in working on their reports, researchers turned to organizations like ours and involved our representatives," says Logan

"Such reports are useless. They can make catchy headlines, but they have little real data. The annoyance is a little annoying: on the one hand, it is known that high growth reduces the risks of diabetes, stroke and heart disease, and they immediately tell us that we risk more than others get cancer, "explains the head of the Club of Tall People.