Taller people ‘more likely to get cancer’

A new study has revealed there is a link between being tall and getting cancer.

In fact, for every extra 10cm of extra height, the risk of developing ANY kind of cancer rose by a whopping 18% for women, and 11% for men.

Dr Emelie Benyi of the Karolinska Institute, who conducted the research, said there were several explanations for the link between height and cancer rates.

“One is that taller people have a larger number of cells in their body which could potentially transform to cancer. It could also be that taller individuals have a higher energy intake which has previously been linked to cancer.”

BUT before everyone panics, height is still not as big a risk factor as smoking, obesity and poor diet.

The biggest increase was seen in rates of skin cancer in tall people - with those rising 30% for every 10cm of height.

Tall women also had a higher chance of developing breast cancer.

Due to the extent of the study (it looked at 5.5 million people over a period of 53 years), it’s findings are being taken seriously by the science world.

Professor Mel Greaves said one explanation for the link could be to do with growth hormone, noting that people with dwarfism have very little incidences of cancer.