A recent study has revealed that taller individuals have a significantly higher risk of developing cancer, with every ten-centimeter increase in height raising the chances by approximately 16%. The study found that this correlation between height and cancer risk is consistent across different income levels and ethnicities.
How Height is Linked to Cancer:
The primary reason taller people are more prone to cancer is the higher number of cells in their bodies. For instance, a taller person has a longer large bowel with more cells, increasing the likelihood of large bowel cancer.
Cancer occurs due to accumulated genetic damage that arises when cells divide and create new cells. The more frequently cells divide, the greater the risk of genetic damage, which can lead to cancer.
This theory also explains why men, who generally have more cells than women, are at a higher risk of developing cancer. Another contributing factor could be the hormone insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which is associated with cell growth and division. Elevated levels of IGF-1 may increase the risk of prostate and breast cancer by promoting excessive cell division.
