Tall people are more likely to develop cancer, according to a new study carried out by researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University (Sweden) and presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Pediatric Endocrinology held in Barcelona, Spain).
To reach this conclusion, the scientists analyzed the data of 5.5 million Swedish men and women born between 1938 and 1991, and with heights ranging from 100 cm to 225 cm from the Swedish Medical Birth , the registry of compulsory military service. of Sweden and the Swedish Passport Register. After the follow-up carried out from the age of 20 on the entire sample and until the end of 2011, they discovered that for every 10 centimeters more in height, the risk of developing cancer increased by 18% in women and 11% in men .
The increase in the percentage of risk in women did not stop there. Those who were much taller than usual had up to a 20% higher risk of developing breast cancer and a 30% higher risk of melanoma .
“ To our knowledge, this is the largest study conducted on the link between height and cancer involving both women and men. It should be noted that our results reflect the incidence of cancer at the population level. As the cause of cancer is multifactorial, it is difficult to predict the impact that our results have on cancer risk at the individual level ”, explains Emelie Benyi, co-author of the study.
” Our studies show that taller people are more likely to develop cancer, but it is not clear so far whether they also have a higher risk of dying from cancer or an overall increase in mortality ,” Benyi clarifies.
