It is clear that adult height is not a cause of cancer and it is thought to be a marker for other factors which are related to childhood growth.
More growth factors are found in taller people, said by the scientists, which could encourage cancer development. Taller people have more cells in their body because of their size, this increases the risk of one of them turning cancerous. Even a higher food intake can also make them more at risk of cancer.
It was “very plausible” that the risk of cancer in a person should be related to the number of cells in their body said Prof Dorothy Bennett, head of the molecular cell sciences research centre, St George’s, University of London.
She added “Cancer arises by mutations from a single normal cell. Bigger people have more cells (not bigger cells),” “So melanoma risk, for example, might be expected to increase with surface area (amount of skin), which is related to the square of height.”
The study did not take into account factors such as smoking or whether women went for breast screening, said Sarah Williams, health information manager at Cancer Research UK. She added: “Whatever your height, there are lots of things you can do to reduce the risk of cancer – not smoking, cutting down on alcohol, eating healthily, being active, having a healthy weight and enjoying the sun safely can each help you stack the odds against the disease.”
This is not to scare those who are tall, the findings should simply prompt people to get rid of bad habits that could lead to cancer and to take better care of themselves. Everyone must balance a healthy diet and lifestyle and be aware of consequences of not having one.