Cancer probably is one of the scariest diseases for the modern population, because it is very difficult to treat and cure. Recent researches have shown that there might be a connection between height and chances of getting cancer, and among women, this link is quite pronounced.
This definitely is a bad news for all the tall people out there, and the risk is higher for the women who already have had menopause. Let us see what the actual study says about this connection.
The Connection Between Height and Cancer
A new scientific research published in a journal shows that taller individuals are more susceptible to cancer than shorter ones. A test was conducted among 20,928 women who had gone through their menopause, and it has been found that shorter women have less chances of suffering from various cancers like colon, skin or breast cancer.
While this study had women as its focus, similar study on men has also shown that chances of taller men getting this disease are more than their shorter counter parts. Let us look into a few queries regarding this connection now:
Why is Height and Cancer Linked?
Interestingly, though it has been seen from different studies that this connection between height and chances of getting cancer exists, no one can say for certain why this happens. It can be possible that our childhoods affect our health, and hormones, therefore, taller the person, more chances that he or she might have cancer. But for the time being, it is difficult to point finger to one reason that might explain the link between cancer and height. There must be studies in future to explain this riddle, which until now remain unsolved.
Is the Risk Really Big?
Unfortunately the results do show that the risk is not too minor. For example, if we take breast cancer, it has been seen that for every 10 cms of increase in the height, the risk of developing breast cancer increases by 13% to 17%. For kidney, rectum, and blood cancer this risks is higher, ranging from 23-29% while for skin cancer, ovarian or colon cancer the risk remains same as that of breast cancer. Another study conducted on men shows that taller men have higher chance of having prostate cancer.
The problem is that we cannot control our height like we can control our food habit. Therefore there is not much one can do if the tendency of cancer is genetic or height related. In that case, getting regular check up and sufficient medical attention is important.
