Tall women are generally looked upon with hidden envy by their shorter counterparts. They don’t have to cut their jeans to fit them, can easily wear flats without looking fat…etc. The sad news is that very recent studies concluded that the women’s height is related to them being predisposed to have cancer.
Recent Studies and Surprising Findings
A study published in Cancer & Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention revealed surprising facts about how a tall body structure is more prone to develop cancer after they reach the menopause.
The tall women are exposed to the risk of getting breast, endometrium, colon, ovary, kidney, thyroid cancer but also a large number of skin cancer types among which melanoma.
The study was conducted between 1993 and 1998 on a sector of over 144.000 women with ages between 50 and 79. Twelve years later in the same group the scientists identified approximately 21.000 cancer cases.
Weird Facts
The recent findings were corroborated with a large number of cancer statistics such as ethnicity, age, lifestyle, biomarker studies, smoking habits, weight and family history.
The facts stated that regardless the previously established cancer predisposition discoveries, the height remains a defining fact for developing cancer in post-menopausal women.
Why does this Happen?
The scientists concluded that height is ultimately related to growth hormones. Since most of the cancers are related to growth hormones activity, the history of growth factors influencing a body structure can increase the cancer risk.
Worrying Conclusion
The studies reached a strange and in the same time, troublesome conclusion: the height factor is increasing the chances to get cancer even more that being overweight.
Every ten centimeters you have over average height increases by 13% the chances to get one or several of the nineteen types of cancers included in the study.
The predisposition is separated depending on the type of cancers related to height. So, between 13-17 % increase the women are exposed to the risk of getting colon, ovary, endometrium , melanoma and breast cancers. In the same time for 23-29% increase, the women are more likely to develop kidney, thyroid, rectum and blood related cancers.
What can it be Done?
The height and how much we grow is not something we can influence. In spite of the worrisome findings , the scientists still state that the exposure to nutrition in the early life can influence the future predisposition. This is why a careful monitoring during early stages of life linked to a healthy lifestyle can reduce the cancer risk related to body height.
