Tall women may face a higher risk of getting cancer. New research – based on a study of 90,000 women who were tracked for more than 16 years – shows that a woman’s overall risk of cancer increases for every 10cm increase in height. The researchers identied 10 cancers that seemed to have a strong link to height. These were colorectal, colon, breast, endometrial, ovarian, kidney, thyroid, melanoma, and leukaemia.
Every 10cm increase in height carried an 11% greater risk of developing postmenopausal breast cancer and up to 51% greater risk of melanoma. “The study provides strong support for a positive association of adult height with risk of certain cancers,” say the researchers from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.
It’s thought taller women have increased levels of in ammation in their bodies, which is linked to DNA damage that can turn cells cancerous.
